Christmas with the Eppes Family
by jlm110108
Summary: Ben and Maggie my two original characters are away from home for Christmas, so the Eppes family and friends decide to make it a memorable holiday season for them. I don't own anything to do with Numb3rs! This was posted at another site last year.
1. Chapter 1

It was the last day of classes before the winter break, and Ben and Maggie Cole sat in Charlie Eppes' office at Cal Sci.

"So," Charlie said, turning from the board he was writing on, "are you guys going back home over break?"

"No," Maggie said with a sigh. "We're staying here."

"Why? Our break is three weeks long. That's more than enough time to go back east."

"I know," Ben said, glancing at his wife. "But Maggie's son is in Boston with his father, and my family is in England. So we thought we'd stay in Pasadena over break. That way we can see more of California. But Maggie misses the snow."

"That's not the whole problem, Ben," Maggie said, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice. "We don't know many people out here. The people at church are friendly enough, but they're all doing things with their families."

"And we'll be going to the Christmas Eve service at church, but it looks like we'll be spending Christmas day by ourselves."

Maggie took a deep breath and smiled. "So, Charlie, what plans do you have?"

"Well, being Jewish, we don't 'do' Christmas. But over the break, I'll work on my cognitive emergence theory, and I think I've actually talked Don into taking some vacation days. Hey," he said, "I have an idea. We've reserved a huge cabin at a ski resort. They have snow," he said with a wink at Maggie, "and it beats sitting home alone watching twenty four hours of 'The Christmas Story.'"

Maggie laughed. "Aw, that's one of my favorite movies. 'You'll put your eye out, kid!'"

"Yeah," Charlie said, "but can you really stand twenty four hours of it? Come to the ski resort with us!"

"I don't know," Ben said, "We don't ski."

"You don't have to. Larry doesn't ski, and he's coming. My dad and David probably won't be skiing this year. Don and Colby are ski fanatics, and Megan, Amita and I might join them occasionally, but I don't think we'll be on the slopes every minute they're open."

"But do you have the room for two more people?"

"I said the cabin was huge. It has six bedrooms, some with two beds, and some with a single king sized bed. Since we only planned on eight of us, two more will not be a problem. We're leaving at the crack of dawn on Saturday and coming back home on Tuesday afternoon. Since Christmas is on Monday this year, you'll be with friends for Christmas. You'd have to miss the Christmas Eve service..."

Ben reached over and took Maggie's hand. "What do you think? Could we skip Christmas Eve service?"

Maggie smiled and squeezed Ben's hand. "I think that would be a wonderful idea. Just this once."

"Great!" Charlie said, "This will really be fun. And maybe we'll even get you to try skiing."

Maggie's face fell suddenly, and she gasped. "Oh no. I just remembered something. We left all our winter clothes home. Who'd a thought we'd need them in southern California?"

"Looks like a shopping trip is in order," Ben said. "Say, Charlie, where would you suggest I take Maggie to buy her a new winter wardrobe?"

"Um... Maybe we should ask Amita." Charlie took out his phone and pressed a speed dial number. "Hey, Amita... Yeah, Ben and Maggie are in my office, and we have a question I thought maybe you could help with... Okay, see you in a few minutes." He closed the phone and said, "Amita will be here to save the day in a few minutes. But meanwhile, for you, Ben, I think Eastern Mountain Sports would do the trick."

"Even if I don't plan on skiing?"

"You're still going to need a winter coat," Charlie said, grinning. "It's ninteen degrees Fahrenheit on the mountain today."

Ben nodded. "All right, point taken, Professor Eppes. I will buy a winter jacket, and perhaps even some gloves and a hat."

"And if you do decide to ski, you can rent equipment at the resort," Charlie said. "Hey, there are bunny trails for beginners."

Ben shook his head, "I have enough trouble walking on snow and ice. I do not plan on strapping slabs of wood to my feet and sliding down a hill."

Charlie laughed. "Maggie, I was not aware that you had married a wuss."

"Sorry, Charlie," Maggie said, "I don't plan on skiing either. But I love the idea of sitting in a lodge, sipping hot cocoa and looking out the window at piles of snow shimmering in the moonlight."

"You two have no sense of adventure," Charlie said.

"No sense of adventure?" Amita asked from the doorway. "Charlie, what are you trying to talk them into now?"

"Skiing," Charlie said, standing and crossing the room to give Amita a hug. He slipped his arm around her waist as they walked back to sit on his desk. "Ben and Maggie are joining us at the resort. But they left all their winter clothes back home in Syracuse, and I figured you would know a good place for Maggie to find some nice ski clothes."

"Oh, I know the perfect place," Amita said, grinning at Maggie. "When do you want to go?"

"Whenever," Maggie said, shrugging. "When is good for you?"

"Are you doing anything now?"

"No," Maggie glanced at Ben. "Right?"

"Right. Go, have fun. Spend a lot of money and buy yourself some beautiful ski bunny clothes."

By Friday night, Maggie and Ben were all outfitted and ready to go. Saturday morning found the ten travelers gathered at the Eppes house and loading their belongings into three SUV's. Alan and David rode with Don. Larry and Megan rode with Colby, and Amita and Charlie rode with Ben and Maggie. As they got farther from LA, the terrain became more mountainous, and the temperature began to drop.

And as the temperature dropped, Maggie became more excited. She cheered out loud when she saw the first traces of snow. "Sorry," she said, blushing. "I guess you can take the girl out of the snow belt but you can't take the snow belt out of the girl."

"That's okay," Charlie said, chuckling. "I think you're really going to love the cabin we picked out. Last I heard, there's about ten inches of snow there, and more expected tonight."

"Wonderful," Ben muttered. "Let's hope we don't get snowed in."

Maggie laughed and leaned over to kiss Ben on the cheek. "Don't worry. Charlie and Alan packed enough to feed an army for a month. And we'll find some way to keep warm."

Ben stroked Maggie's cheek, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm sure we will."

In the back seat, Charlie nuzzled Amita's cheek. She giggled and pulled away. "I hope you packed a razor, Charlie. You're a bit bristly."

"Don't worry. By tomorrow, the bristles will be soft and cuddly."

"They'd better be, or you're going to have to find another way to keep warm," Amita said as she ran her fingers up the side of Charlie's face.

By lunch time, the caravan of SUVs pulled up in front of the cabin Charlie had reserved.

Ben whistled as he turned off the ignition and removed his seatbelt. "This is not exactly what I pictured when you said, 'cabin,' Charlie. This is more like a ski lodge."

"Well, a cabin has to be rather large to accommodate ten of us," Charlie said, getting out of the car and holding Amita's hand as she climbed down. "The ski slopes are about a quarter of a mile that way. Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful, Charlie," Maggie said. "Thank you for inviting us along."

"Hey, I couldn't let you guys spend the weekend watching Ralphie, could I? Come on, let me show you around." Charlie waited as the rest of the group gathered near the door, and then unlocked the cabin. In the middle of the living room stood an eight foot tall Christmas tree, beautifully decorated and surrounded by gifts. He smiled at Maggie and said, "Not bad for a Jewish kid from Pasadena, is it?"

"Charlie," Maggie gave him a huge hug. "You're amazing!"

He patted Maggie's back and said, "I couldn't have done all this by myself. We all wanted to make this a great Christmas for our guests."

"Well, I must say you did an amazing job," Ben said, grinning.

"Let me check on lunch," Charlie said, heading for the kitchen.

"Lunch?" Don asked as he followed his brother.

"Yep," Charlie said. "I asked the owner to have his staff fix us a couple of crockpots full of stew." He lifted the lid of a six quart crockpot and the aroma of beef stew filled the kitchen. "Perfect." He lifted the towel that covered a basket on the counter. "And kaiser rolls, nice and warm."

"Well," Alan said, "let's get the cars unloaded so we can have lunch!" He headed toward the door and noticed nobody was following him. "Well?" he said in his best no-nonsense father voice. "Are you gentlemen coming?"

"You mean the ladies don't have to help?" Charlie asked, hands on hips.

"No. Let the ladies stay in here and keep warm. Come on." Alan headed toward the door again, and this time he was followed by seven men. When they made the final trip with all the luggage and supplies, the women had the table set. Alan stomped the snow off his boots and hung his jacket up, then he noticed the table. "Ladies!" he scolded. "You were supposed to be relaxing, not working."

Megan laughed. "Alan, sometimes we just like to do girly things. Now, sit and enjoy your lunch while the rolls are still warm."

As they sat, Don said, "And after lunch we can teach Ben and Maggie how to ski."


	2. Chapter 2

The discussion of skiing was postponed when Charlie brought the first crockpot of stew to the table, followed by Amita carrying the rolls and Larry carrying a bowl of salad and two bottles of dressing.

"Wow," Megan said, "Charlie! The owners of this place have outdone themselves! This is wonderful!"

Colby chuckled, "They didn't buy the Christmas presents under the tree, did they?"

"No," Charlie said, feigning shock, "Colby! How could you suggest such a thing? Santa and his elves handled that end of it."

"They're early, then," David said, checking his watch. "Christmas isn't 'til the day after tomorrow."

"Hey," Charlie said with a shrug, "He made me promise I wouldn't let anyone touch the presents until Christmas morning."

Don laughed, "That's going to be a hard promise to keep, baby brother. There are nine of us and only one of you, and you have to sleep sometime."

"What would you say if I told you Larry and I set up a high tech alarm system around the tree?"

"You did?" Alan asked.

"I didn't say that, Dad. I just asked what Don would say..."

"Okay, okay," Alan said with a wave of his hand. "So, what is everyone planning for the afternoon?"

Don and Colby said in unison, "Skiing."

Charlie grinned at Maggie, "Want to try the bunny slope?"

"Bunny slope?" Maggie said, "It's Christmas, not Easter."

"No, it's the beginners'..."

"I know, Charlie. I was just teasing." She glanced at Ben, who looked dubious. "I'm willing to try it once, if Ben is."

"All right," Ben said. "I suppose once won't hurt."

"Oh, come on," Amita said, "You might actually have fun."

"Do you ski?" Ben asked.

"Once in a while. I'm not very good at it."

Charlie squeezed Amita's hand. "But she looks so amazing in her pink jacket and bib..."

"So," Megan said, "looking good is half the battle is it, Charlie?"

"Why, yes, it is," he said, smiling at Amita.

"How about you, Mr. Eppes?" David asked. "You up for a trip down the slopes?"

"It's Alan, and, yes, I do believe I'll give it a shot. How about you, David? Do you ski?"

David shrugged, "Colby's dragged me along a few times. Professor Fleinhardt, you've been uncharacteristically quiet."

"Oh, I'm just not the athletic type. I'm something of a klutz, truth be told."

Megan put her arm around him and gave him a squeeze. "I'll hold your hand all the way down the slope, if you'd like."

Colby rolled his eyes, and David kicked him under the table.

"Okay," Alan said. "So after we ALL help with the dishes, I suggest we check out the slopes."

Maggie leaned toward Ben and whispered, "And after we've tried it once, just to placate these ski nuts, you and I can sit in front of the fire and drink hot cocoa while they freeze their buns off."

"Sounds good to me," Ben said, smiling. "Though I do believe, given the amount and quality of the snow outside our cabin that we do need to build at least one snowman."

"Ooh, that would be fun," Maggie said. "I'll bet with this group we'd get quite a variety of snowpeople."

"Snowpeople?" Colby laughed. "You getting politically correct on us, Maggie?"

"Why, Granger?" Megan asked. "You opposed to equal rights for snow people of all races, genders and creeds?"

"Nope. Not me. Hey, I'll bet I can make the biggest snowMAN."

"I don't know, Colby," Larry interjected. "Using the most powerful force in the universe – physics – I'll wager I can create a snow being much larger than you can make."

"Oh, Larry," Charlie said, "this sounds like the perfect challenge."

"Challenge?" Alan scoffed. "We're here to enjoy a relaxing weekend. We don't need any challenges."

"Aw, come on, Dad," Don said. "It'll be relaxing. I'd like to see the jocks trounce the geeks for once."

"Trouncing doesn't sound relaxing at all," Alan said. "It sounds like the same kind of stress we came up here to get away from."

"No, Alan," Megan said, grinning. "It's a whole different kind of stress, and that's what makes it fun."

"I still don't get it, but I will build a snowman. Just for fun. And I don't care if mine is bigger or better or more mathematically accurate than anyone else's."

Charlie laughed. "How about anatomically correct?"

"Charlie!" Alan scolded. "You watch your mouth, Son."

"Sorry, Father," Charlie said, smirking. "You go ahead and do the traditional Frosty the Snowman, and we'll let our creative juices flow. But! All this must take place after we go skiing."

"And skiing must take place after we do the dishes," Alan said sternly. "Unless, of course, son of mine, you've arranged housekeeping help for this vacation."

"Uh... well, I guess if we all pitch in, it'll go fairly quickly," Charlie said, standing and collecting the dishes.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay! Dishes are done, and everything is put away," Don announced. "Can we go skiing now, Dad?"

"Please?" Colby joined in, using his best whiny voice.

"All right," Alan said, "It looks good. Go! Get changed into your ski duds."

"Woo hoo!" Colby whooped as he dropped the dishtowel and headed toward his bedroom.

Megan shook her head, "They're such children."

A few minutes later, the living room was once again filled with activity and raucous laughter. Everyone had changed into their ski gear, and those who owned their own ski equipment were lugging it outside and leaning it against the cabin. Megan looked up as Ben and Maggie entered. "Hey, you guys look great! Just like real skiers."

"We're trying to maintain the illusion," Ben said, grinning wryly. "At least until we – what's the term? -- hit the slopes."

"I'm sure you two will do just fine," Megan said. "If you'd like, I'll show you a few tricks."

"That would be wonderful," Maggie said. "We're a little apprehensive..."

"So's Larry," Megan said. "Actually, we all were worried the first time. You'll have fun, I'm sure, and if you don't, you can come back here and relax while the rowdy crew is skiing."

Maggie slipped her arm around Ben's waist and gave him a squeeze. "I kind of like Plan B."

"Me too," Ben murmured, nuzzling Maggie's hair.

"Okay, you two lovebirds," Charlie called from across the room. "You ready to go?"

"Of course," Ben said. "But where's Larry?"

"I'll go find him," Megan said as she headed up the stairs to the bedrooms. A few minutes later, she returned with a very sheepish looking Larry. He wore the kind of spandex outfit Olympic skiers wear, and carried top of the line ski equipment.

Colby whistled softly. "Professor Fleinhardt, you look like you're going for the gold."

Larry waved a hand absently. "I did some research into the physics of skiing. Heavier bodies tend to go downhill faster, so smaller bodies, like myself, need to reduce wind resistance in order to compete. I just was not prepared for the visual effect..."

"Well," Megan said, taking Larry's hand and stepping back to admire the view, "I happen to like the visual effect just fine." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on Larry's cheek. "You sure you're going to be warm enough?"

Larry blushed. "I'm quite warm, thank you."

"All right," Don said, "are we finally all ready to go?"

"Yes, we are," Megan said.

"Okay, let's head 'em up and move 'em out," Colby said.

Maggie noticed Ben's confused expression and whispered, "That's cowboy talk for 'let's get a move on.'"

Ben shook his head as they walked toward the door. "As long as I've lived here, you'd think I'd have mastered the bastardized version of the Queen's English you yanks speak."

"I don't know. You Brits speak a pretty strange version of English, too."

They gasped as they stepped out into the crisp, cold air. "This is nice," Maggie said. "It's like home on a good day."

Amita shivered as she picked up her skis. "I'd hate to see your home on a bad day."

Charlie wrapped his arm around Amita's shoulder and pulled her close to him. "Are you going to be warm enough?"

"Oh, I think so," Amita laughed as she stepped away, letting Charlie pick up his own skis.

"My goodness," Ben said, "are Maggie and I the only one who don't own skis?"

"I think so," Alan said. "Though mine are ancient." He stopped and wagged a finger at Charlie, "No comments from the peanut gallery!" He turned back to Ben. "Most resorts have very good rentals, and experts who'll help you pick the right stuff. Don't worry about that."

"Okay," Charlie said, "are we ready to walk, or does anyone want to drive?"

"You said it's only a quarter mile, right?" Don said, "I vote we walk."

Everyone else agreed and they started toward the ski slopes. "This is absolutely beautiful," Maggie said. "It's amazing up here. Charlie, I have to tell you again that this was a wonderful idea. And thank you again for inviting us along."

Charlie stopped walking and stood, hands on hips, "Maggie! Once and for all, you're welcome. It's great to have you along, and the only reason I didn't invite you earlier was that I assumed you two were going back east for Christmas."

Don nudged Charlie. "And you know what happened when you assume."

Charlie laughed. "You make an ass out of u and me. And I would have felt like a real ass if I'd found out that we were up here having fun while you two were back in Pasadena, alone. So I really need to thank the two of you."

"Wow," Maggie said. "I guess I should be the one saying you're welcome then."

"Glad we got that straight," Charlie said. "Look! There's the lodge and the lifts. We're almost there."

Alan led Maggie and Ben to the rental office. After they had made their selections, Alan took them to the beginner's slope where Larry and Megan were waiting. "All right," Alan said, "I'll leave you folks to it." With a wave, he walked off to join Don and the others.

"Hi, guys," Megan said, "We've got an instructor coming here in a few minutes to get the three of you started, and I'll stick with you to help you afterwards, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Ben said.

The lessons went surprisingly well. All three professors were quick learners, and once their instructor was convinced the three of them could ski safely, he explained the slope rating system to them. "I suggest the three of you stick with the green circle slopes. After a few days, you might feel up to trying a blue square slope. But you really need to stay clear of the black diamond slopes, okay?"

"Are we permitted to continue using this slope for a while?" Larry asked.

"Of course," the instructor said with a smile. "Good luck professors."

"Thank you," Larry said. "I believe we will need all the luck we can get."

"Oh, come on, Larry," Maggie said. "You're doing a wonderful job. And you do look good in your spandex," she added with a smile. "Come on. Let's practice a few more times here and then go find ourselves a green circle slope."

Charlie, Alan and Amita were already in the lift line at the green circle slope when Megan led the three beginners over. "Hey!" Charlie called, waving. "Stay there. We'll come back and join you."

He got Alan and Amita's attention and they moved back to the end of the line with their friends.

"How'd the lessons go?" Amita asked.

"It must have gone well," Alan said, grinning, "They've been released to join us on the real slopes."

"With some fear and trepidation," Ben said. "But Megan says we're ready."

"You'll do just fine," Charlie said. "You do have medical insurance, right?"

"Oh, Charles!" Larry exclaimed. "Just when I was beginning to feel somewhat ready to take on this challenge..."

"Don't worry," Charlie said, patting Larry on one spandex-clad shoulder. "You'll do just fine. I was just teasing."

Ben, Maggie and Larry watched the skiers ahead of them mounting the chairlift and were able to ride up the slope without incident. On the way up, Ben said to Maggie, "It's always been something of a nightmare of mine that I would end up hanging upside down on one of these things."

"It is a lot easier than it looks," Maggie said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Now let's just hope the trip down is just as easy."

When the chairlift reached the top, the seven of them were able to dismount safely. Charlie and Amita decided to take the slope first, allowing the three beginners and Megan to follow them. Alan brought up the rear, so he could watch for any mishaps.

When Amita and Charlie reached the bottom, they turned and watched the others. Ben and Maggie skied near each other, but Ben appeared to be a little more adventurous. He skied a little faster, but kept slowing so he wouldn't get too far ahead of his wife. Megan on the other hand stayed within five feet of Larry. "Look," Amita said, "Larry is scared to death, isn't he?"

"I think so. Hopefully, he'll be a little more relaxed next time around."

"I don't know," Amita chuckled. "Looking at Larry, there may not be a next time. Your dad's doing a good job, though."

"It's been a while since he skied, but you're right. He is doing a good job."

Ben arrived, grinning broadly, followed closely by Maggie, who was laughing out loud. Larry and Megan were next, holding hands. Larry was grinning feebly. Alan arrived a moment after Megan and Larry.

"Well, Larry," Alan said, "that wasn't bad, was it?"

"I don't know, Alan. I might be persuaded to try at least one more time."

"All right!" Megan cheered, clapping her gloved hands. "Larry, you did a wonderful job. Let's get back to the chairlift!"


	4. Chapter 4

As the slopes were closing for the night, Charlie led his group to the lodge. "Well, how was it?" he asked.

"Marvelous!" Ben replied.

"Wonderful," Maggie added. "Wasn't the sunset amazing tonight?"

"It was," Larry agreed. "Though there were times I despaired of surviving to see another sunset."

"Oh, Larry, it wasn't that bad. You did a terrific job," Megan said.

"I do believe eventually everything worked out all right," Larry said. "Perhaps tomorrow I will be able to perfect my technique to the point that you won't need to hold my hand."

"Aww, Larry, I enjoy holding your hand, but it will be wonderful to see you going down the hill on your own."

"So, Charlie," Alan said, "what do you have in mind for supper tonight?"

"Well, if it's okay with everybody else, I thought we'd eat here tonight."

"Works for me," Alan said. "The rest of the gang should be along shortly, I would assume."

Megan said, "Probably taking one last run as the slopes are closing."

"Here they come!" Amita said, pointing toward three figures walking toward them in the gathering dusk.

"Hey! Don!" Charlie shouted, waving.

The three figures waved and picked up the pace.

Don, Colby and David were flushed and grinning. "That was awesome!" Don said. "Charlie, you should try the black diamond slope with us tomorrow. I think you'd enjoy it."

"Go ahead, Charlie," Amita said. "I think I'll stick to the green circle. Megan, why don't you..."

Megan glanced at Larry who said, "Yes, Megan, you should spend some time doing something a little more challenging. At least for part of the day."

"Are you sure, Larry? I don't want..."

Larry pressed his fingertips against Megan's lips. "Shhh. I am absolutely certain. Now, shall we go inside and get something to eat? I am starving."

They stowed their gear and went into the lodge. Since Charlie hadn't made reservations, they left a name with the hostess and headed for the bar. They ordered their drinks, and Megan said, "Well, I think I'll go freshen up. Ladies?" She turned to Amita and Maggie.

"Sounds good to me," Maggie said as she and Amita rose to join Megan.

As the women left, Charlie shook his head. "Has anyone ever figured out why ladies need to 'freshen up' as a group?"

"Well, Charles," Larry said, "there are many theories. One theory is that they do so for protection, since men's rooms and ladies' rooms are usually adjacent to each other. Some women feel uncomfortable passing the men's room alone."

"I think they just want to gossip about the men," Colby said, taking a handful of peanuts from the bowl in front of him.

"There is that, as well," Larry agreed. "In fact, a woman filmmaker in Texas did a movie called 'The Ladies Room,' documenting the conversations that take place in ladies' rooms."

Charlie glanced toward the restrooms. "I wonder what they're saying about us."

David chuckled. "I don't think I want to know. I don't know Maggie all that well, but I've known Amita and Megan to be kind of sharp-tongued once in a while."

"Megan? Sharp-tongued? Never!" Don chuckled as he raised his beer mug.

"Well," said Alan, "I think Ben, Charlie and Larry have all done very well for themselves."

Ben lifted his glass in Alan's direction, "I'll drink to that, Alan."

Larry and Charlie joined him in the toast just as the ladies returned.

"What are we toasting?" Megan asked.

Larry stood and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "We were drinking a toast to you three lovely ladies."

"Well, in that case," Megan said, lifting her drink, "I propose a toast to our handsome escorts on this delightful weekend."

Maggie and Amita lifted their glasses. Amita kissed Charlie on the cheek. "Thank you for planning this vacation, Charlie. Megan's right. It is delightful."

"I agree," Don said, "but I'm not going to kiss you."

"Thank you for that!" Charlie said.

The hostess paged, "Eppes, party of ten," and they collected their drinks and followed the hostess to their table.

When they had finished eating and retrieved their ski equipment, the group hiked back to their cabin. "So," Colby said, "has everybody been thinking about their snowmen?" Grinning at the chorus of 'no's,' Colby said, "Well, I have been thinking about it all day. And I think I have an idea that will absolutely knock your socks off."

"Ooooh," Megan said, "Granger! This sounds like a challenge! You're on!"

Maggie leaned toward Ben and said, "I think with our eye for art, we should have a definite advantage here."

Charlie said, "But you can't discount the math and physics involved in constructing a snowman."

"I don't know, Charles," Larry said. "I've been pondering this since we discussed it over lunch. I know I bragged that we would be able to build the largest snowman using physics..."

"In fact," Colby interrupted, "I believe you mentioned a wager..."

Larry waved his hand dismissively. "I'm afraid I spoke in haste. I'm afraid that the classic snowman model, ever increasing balls of snow, stacked from largest to smallest, is the optimum model. I don't believe it is possible, even with Charles' mathematics and my physics, to improve upon it."

"So," Colby said, grinning wolfishly, "this whole thing may come down to who's the strongest."

"No," Charlie objected. "There has to be a mathematical way to improve the original model. I find it hard to believe that there is no room for improvement in a design as ancient as that."

"You know, Charlie," Alan said, "Just because something's old doesn't mean it's poorly designed."

"That's true, Charlie," Megan said, "look at Larry's car. It's old, and it's beautiful."

Charlie threw his hands into the air. "I give up!"

"Really?!" Amita exclaimed. "I never thought I'd live to hear those words come out of your mouth, Charlie."

"Well, let's just say I am giving up discussing this with you Luddites. I am not giving up trying to invent a better snowman."


	5. Chapter 5

After they had put their gear away and changed into dry clothes, they turned on the floodlights and reconvened in the backyard of their cabin. "Okay," Charlie said, "we've got to agree on the rules."

"Rules?" Alan scoffed. "How about we just have fun? I'm on vacation, and I don't do rules on vacation."

"Mr. Eppes is right," Colby said. "No rules. This is a knock-down, drag out, bareknuckles snowMAN competition."

"It's Alan, and that wasn't exactly what I had in mind," Alan said, shaking his head.

"Are we going to be in teams, or is this an individual competition?" Maggie asked.

"Whatever floats your boat," Megan said.

"Right!" Alan said. "We are here to..."

"Have fun!" a chorus of voices finished Alan's sentence for him.

"All righty, then," Maggie said, "Ben, you want to work with me?"

"Gladly, my dear." He bent to pick up a double handful of snow and packed it into a ball. "Alan, would you care to join us?"

"I'd love to, Ben. I trust you're not planning on doing anything bizarre."

"Not at all. We're rather more traditional than the young folk, there," Ben said, nodding at the three professors debating snowman theory while Megan laughed and rolled a snowball around their feet.

"And we're definitely not as hyperphysical as the studs over there," Maggie said, waving a hand in the direction of Don, David and Colby, who were racing around in some sort of competition to see who could create the biggest snowball the fastest.

"You know," Larry said, "it's unfortunate we limited ourselves to the genre of snowmen."

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked as he looked up from the snowball he was rolling.

"Well, Stan Wagon of Macalaster College in Minnesota headed several teams who used mathematically generated designs to win the snow sculpture contests at Breckenridge."

"I saw those," Amita said. "They were just amazing! But they were on a much grander scale than this."

"I'd say so," Charlie chuckled. "What were they? Twenty tons of snow? A block ten feet by ten feet by twelve feet?"

"Yes," Larry said, "but we could so something much smaller, and the snow here is wonderful for packing."

"Yes, it is!" Megan exclaimed, looking up from the huge snowball she was rolling. "And if you three would stop talking and start working..."

"Hey! Megan!" Colby called from the other side of the yard.

"What?" Megan stood and looked at Colby, only to be hit full in the face with a snowball. "Granger!" She yelled, wiping snow from her face. "You are so going to pay for that!"

"Are you all right?" Larry asked, turning Megan so he could look at her face.

"Yes," Megan said, laughing.

"Stay here," he said. Before she could react, Larry ran across the yard. He slammed into Colby, catching the agent by surprise and driving him to the ground.

"Larry! What the heck!" Colby yelled as he rolled them over until Larry was on the bottom.

Don was shaking his head, and David was doubled over with laughter. Megan sauntered to Colby and pulled him off of Larry. "Granger! Quit picking on Larry!"

"Hey, he's the one who tackled me," Colby said, standing and helping Larry to his feet. "You okay, Larry?"

"I'm fine. And you?"

Colby grinned. "Amazingly, I'm okay. You pack quite a wallop, Professor."

Don chuckled. "I wish I had pictures of that. The great Colby Granger taken out by a guy half his size."

Larry glanced at Colby. "Don, I believe you're exaggerating. Colby is nowhere near twice my size."

Megan took Larry's hand. "You're right. However, I would say that today you've proved yourself to be the bigger man, and I appreciate your gallantry." They walked back to Charlie and Amita. "But if this ever happens again, I suggest you use your brain and not your brawn. Not every opponent is going to be as easy to take as Granger."

"Hey!" Colby said. "I heard that!"

Megan turned and favored Colby with a brilliant smile. "Good."

Colby rolled his eyes and went back to work on his giant snowball. He looked at David who was wiping tears from his eyes and trying to stop laughing. "Hey, Sinclair, you're my partner. You're supposed to have my back!"

David fought to suppress a grin. "I'm sorry, partner. But I didn't think the professor could move that fast."

"I think we all underestimated the geek squad," Colby said, laughing.


	6. Chapter 6

Charlie put the finishing touches on the base of their snowman as Megan and Larry returned. He grinned at Larry. "Very impressive, Lawrence. Have you ever considered football?"

Larry gave Charlie a glare that could have melted the snowman. "Charles, that was not funny. I was merely reacting to an unwarranted assault on my sweetheart."

Amita gave Charlie a playful shove. "I think Larry is very gallant. Maybe instead of picking on him, you should learn from him."

"Oh, and I'm not gallant?" Charlie said, grabbing a double handful of snow as he glared at Amita.

"Oh, no you don't!" Amita shoved Charlie to the ground and ran away, laughing.

Alan quirked his eyebrows at Ben and Maggie. "I think they're going to be forgetting about snowmen pretty soon. What say we go inside, start a fire and make some hot cocoa?"

"Sounds great to me," Maggie said as she brushed snow from her gloves. "I've had enough snow for today."

Sure enough, half an hour later the door opened, admitting seven cold, wet and tired people. Alan called from the kitchen, "Change out of those wet clothes, and when you're dressed, have a seat by the fire."

Charlie stuck his dripping head into the kitchen and said, "Thanks, Dad. You too, Ben and Maggie. You guys are awesome."

Alan chuckled as he ruffled Charlie's wet curls. "Get outta here. You're dripping."

"He's a nice kid," Maggie said after Charlie had left. "In fact, both of your sons are wonderful, Alan. You and your wife did a wonderful job with them."

"It certainly must have been a challenge," Ben said.

Alan stirred the cocoa and began to ladle it into mugs. "It was. I think it's a blessing that they both turned out as well as they did. We learned about Charlie's genius when he was a toddler. I know it made it hard on Don."

Ben shook his head. "I have no experience with geniuses. I'm afraid I can't comprehend a toddler doing maths."

"When he was three, he was multiplying four-digit numbers in his head," Alan said.

"It's amazing," Maggie said. "I don't know if I could figure out what to do with a child like that. It's hard enough dealing with an adult who can see anything in the world in terms of a mathematical formula."

"Raising Charlie has been a real experience. But I'm proud of both of them. And I know Margaret was proud of them, too. She would have been amazed at how well they get along now."

"What the heck, Chuck?!" Don's voice carried from the living room. "Get outta here with that ice!"

Maggie laughed out loud at Alan's bemused expression. "They get along just like brothers. You can't ask for anything more than that."

"I guess not," Alan said, picking up a tray full of mugs and carrying them into the living room. "Hey! Charlie! Don! Behave yourselves. We've got company. I'll send you to your rooms."

Maggie and Ben followed, carrying napkins and trays of cookies.

"My goodness," Maggie said, "look at all those rosy cheeks! Did you manage to assemble any snowmen?"

Megan laughed. "We did, but then World War III erupted, and all the snowmen, including yours, were victims of the battle."

"World War III?" Alan asked as he finished handing out mugs of hot cocoa. "Was the precipitating event Colby's attack on Megan?"

"Possibly," Amita said, "But the Fleinhardt counterattack effectively neutralized that event."

"Yes," Charlie said, "but that attack and its resulting counterattack triggered a third attack, which triggered a fourth..."

"A shooting chain!" David said, laughing. "Charlie! Don't tell me we're looking for a serial snowman killer."

"No," Charlie said, slipping further into teaching mode, "it's kind of like..."

"Stop!" Colby said, laughing. "I'm on vacation. I don't want to hear a single 'it's kind of like' all weekend!"

"All right!" Charlie said, putting his hands up. "I surrender, Agent Granger. You will not hear a single 'it's kind of like'" until Tuesday. Of course, that would mean you'd miss out on the mathematics of skiing."

"The mathematics of skiing?" Colby said, "Charlie, you see numbers in everything."

"That's because numbers are in everything," Charlie said, pausing to sip his cocoa. "Dad, Maggie and Ben, this cocoa is great."

"Oh, no," Colby said, "You are not going to change the subject now. Tell me about the mathematics of skiing. If I'm gonna kick Don's butt on the slopes tomorrow, I need all the help I can get."

"Well," Charlie said, suppressing a grin, "you already have a big advantage."

"How's that?" Colby asked.

"You're bigger than Don, and heavier. Therefore, all other things being equal, you will go down the slope faster."

"Really?" Don said. "You'd think it would be the opposite."

"You would, but..." Charlie looked around the room, obviously not seeing what he was looking for.

Larry shook his head, "Charles, I don't think you'll find a blackboard here."

"Well, can you guys take my word for it?"

"No, Chuck," Don said, "What you're saying doesn't make sense."

At Charlie's expression, Amita nudged Larry. "Uh oh," she whispered.

"I'll be right back," Charlie said as he stood and ran up the stairs.

"Don't tell me he packed a blackboard," David said.

Charlie came back down the stairs, carrying a legal pad and a pen. "No, no blackboard. Just paper." He sat down next to Colby, and began sketching a hill and a stick figure skier. "Okay, the skier's body is acted on by gravity, surface friction and aerodynamic body drag, right?"

"Right," Colby said. "Makes sense so far."

"Good. Now let's call our skier's weight, or mass, 'm.' If he's not moving, his inertial forces are zero. If he's moving, friction and drag are opposing the pull of gravity, right?"

"So far, so good," Colby said. Beside him, Don nodded.

Charlie scribbled out a series of expressions, saying, "All right. Here's your mass again, and you can see that if mass is larger, it will make V, the velocity higher, right?"

Colby glanced at Don. "Make sense to you, Don?"

Don shook his head. "Not really, but if Charlie says it's right, it must be right."

Charlie gave both agents a frustrated look. "And I suppose if I told you the snow would be purple tomorrow, you'd believe that too."

"No," Colby said softly, "we wouldn't. Listen, I don't understand all of what you're doing here, but I can see that if this 'm' increases, because of where it is in the equation, the speed will have to increase, so it's all good."

Charlie grinned. "Okay! You got it."

"But Charlie," Don said, "how do smaller skiers ever win races, then?"

Charlie tapped his pencil on the sketch of the skier, pointing at the skis. "Several factors. Bigger skis distribute the skier's weight over a larger surface, making the pressure per square inch lower, so that'll speed you up. And adding more wax, making your skis smoother so there's less friction, that'll help, too. But you also have to balance the need for speed with the need to remain in control. So I would say that skill and knowledge of the course are key elements."

"So you're saying I've just got to be a better skier than Colby. Which," Don said, grinning at Colby, "I most certainly am."

"I don't know, Don. I was holding my own against you today. And now that I know the math backs me up, I think I'll really kick your sorry butt tomorrow."

Megan handed Don a plate of cookies. "You could always bulk up before tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

Having proved his point to Don and Colby, Charlie dropped his pen and paper on the coffee table and leaned back, snuggling next to Amita. "Hey," he whispered, "did you have fun today?"

"Mmm hmm," she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. "How about you?"

"Mmm hmm," he tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn.

Across from them, Maggie squeezed Ben's hand. "It's been a wonderful day, but long."

"It certainly has." Ben looked up at Charlie and said, "Thank..."

Charlie ran his fingers across his lips, "Tscchh! Zip it!"

Ben laughed. "Oh, behave!"

Maggie laughed, "Bennington Cole, international man of mystery!"

Amita nudged Charlie, "And Dr. Evil, I presume?"

"Give me a frickin' break, Number Two," Charlie snarled.

"Number Two?" Amita said, kissing Charlie's cheek. "I thought I was your Number One."

"She's got you there, Dr. Evil," Alan said, collecting the empty mugs. "Anyone want more hot cocoa?"

"No, thanks," Ben said, standing to help Alan. "I think Maggie and I will retire. It has been a long, but wonderful day."

"And tomorrow promises to be more of the same," Maggie added, picking up the empty cookie plates.

"So the two of you enjoyed your foray into skiing?" Larry asked as he retrieved Megan's empty mug.

"Oh, yes," Maggie said. "I can't wait to go again tomorrow. How about you, sweetheart?"

"I am amazed that I survived the experience, but, yes, I am excited about skiing again tomorrow."

Colby tapped his finger on Charlie's diagram. "Hey, Don. Numbers don't lie. You are going to have your butt handed to you tomorrow."

Charlie glanced at Colby with raised eyebrows. "So now that the numbers are in your favor, you trust 'em?"

"I always trust your numbers, Whiz Kid. I just don't want you to get a big head. Don, what do you say? Care for a little wager?"

"Ooh," David said, grinning, "looks like we're in for fun on the black diamond tomorrow. Colby is willing to put his money where his mouth is!

"Are you in on the challenge, David?" Colby asked.

"Nuh uh, not me, man. I'm just going to take it easy on the slopes tomorrow, but I'll enjoy watching the two of you."

"Charlie?" Don said, "You going to join us on the black diamond? You're always up for a challenge."

Charlie glanced at Amita. "Yeah, I'll try it in the morning, then I'll go back to the green trail with Amita."

"Great!" Colby said, "You can make sure I've got the math right when I kick your brother's butt."

"I don't know, Colby," Charlie said, "Blood is thicker than water. I don't know if I should be helping you..."

Don laughed, "Hey, Buddy. Don't worry about it. I can take Colby any day, even when he's got your help." He stood and stretched, then bent to pick up his mug. "I'm gonna need my rest, though."

"You definitely could use your beauty sleep," Megan said.

"You are so burned, Don," David said, standing. "Goodnight everybody."

The next morning, the group awoke to the smell of bacon, sausage and eggs. Charlie and Amita had taken over the kitchen, and were making breakfast for the hungry hoarde.

"Hey, Chuck, Amita," Don said as he entered in search of coffee. "Breakfast smells great!"

"Thanks," Amita said, smiling. She handed Don a mug of coffee. "Cream and sugar are on the table."

"Wow," Don said, grinning. "I could get used to this."

"Sorry, Bro," Charlie said, "you'll have to find your own woman."

Amita's eyebrows raised as she gave Charlie a glare. "Are you implying that I am your property?"

"She's got you there, Chuck!" Don said as he sat down with his coffee.

"I did not mean to imply anything. You are a strong, independent, intelligent woman. I was simply using a figure of speech."

"Good," Amita said, handing Charlie another package of bacon. "I was about to leave you to finish up by yourself."

After breakfast, everybody pitched in to clean up before they collected their gear and walked to the ski slopes.

When they arrived, Charlie gave Amita a kiss and joined Don, Colby, David and Megan in the line for the black diamond chairlift.

"Charlie," Megan said, "are you sure you're up for this?"

"Yeah, I've skied a double black diamond before, and lived to tell about it."

"Any broken bones?" David asked.

"Nope. I stayed on my feet all the way, too."

"True," Don said, smirking, "but you weren't exactly breaking any speed records there, Buddy."

"Hey, unlike some people, I don't see the need to get everyplace quickly. I enjoyed the trip, and that's the important thing."

Colby chuckled. "This from the guy who's had how many speeding tickets?"

"The radar was faulty. I just haven't figured out how to prove that."

"Five times, Chuck? Five different locations? What are the odds of that?" Don said as he stepped forward to get on the chairlift.

Charlie stepped up on the other side. "The odds are astronomical, but not impossible."

They stepped into their seats and let the lift take them on their way.

Charlie turned around, located Amita and the others, and waved. He grinned as he saw the shrinking figures waving back. "This is fun, isn't it?" He said, grinning at Don.

"Yeah, Buddy," Don smiled. "It really is. You're a great vacation planner."

"Thanks, Don. How long has it been since you've taken a vacation?"

"Too long, Buddy, too long."

"I don't know how you do it, Don. I really don't. I mean, the stuff you see, the people you have to deal with... I would go nuts trying to handle it."

"Nah, you wouldn't. You're seeing a lot of it now. You've even had to deal with some of the slimebags, and you're doing just fine."

"Yeah, but it's not how I spend every single day of every single week. Doesn't it wear on you?"

"It does, sometimes, Buddy. It does. I've really gotta do stuff like this more often: get away from it all, you know?"

"You want to come up here again in February? I'll make reservations."

Don shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know if I'll be able to get away..."

"Just a long weekend, like this. Just you, me and Dad. Megan can handle things for a couple of days. It'll give you something to look forward to. It'll make your everyday hell a little easier to take, you know?"

Don grinned. "Okay. You've talked me into it, Buddy. Make the reservations."

Charlie laughed and punched Don on the arm. "All right! Don Eppes taking two vacations in one year."

"Well, Professor, technically, it's two separate years."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "It's still gotta be a record of some kind."

"Okay, we're almost at the top. You ready?"

"Yep."


	8. Chapter 8

When Megan, Colby and David joined them, Don said, "Okay, Granger. Are you ready? You bulked up? Got your extra large skis? Lots of wax?"

"Check, check and check, Boss. You ready to get whumped?"

"Whumped? In your dreams, Granger! Come on!" Don took his position at the top of the trail. "Megan, count us down."

"You want a starter's pistol, Boss?" Megan said.

"Nah, I think we'll be okay with 'on your mark...'."

"Okay. Here goes. On your mark... get set... GO!"

Don took a quick lead. "Go, Don!" Charlie yelled.

"Catch him, Colby!" David cheered. He shrugged at Charlie. "Sorry. He's my partner."

"Think they have enough of a lead?" Megan said.

"Looks good to me," Charlie said, pulling his goggles into place. "Let's see who won."

After over a mile of twists and turns through barely groomed snow, they arrived to find Colby and Don arguing good naturedly.

"Nobody saw us finish!" Don said, "Can you believe it? All the witnesses here, and not one will come forward to tell us who won."

"You didn't pull your badge and threaten them, did you, Don?" Charlie said as he came to a stop next to his brother.

"No, Chuck, of course I didn't. What do you take me for?"

"I'm kidding, Bro! Just kidding. You want me to stay down here next time to settle the argument?"

"There is no argument," Colby said, brushing the snow from his jacket. "I was at least five feet ahead of him."

"That's bull, Granger!" Don said, grinning. "You couldn't have been more than three feet ahead of me. Wanna go for two out of three?"

"You're on!"

"Should I stay..."

"Nah," Don said, heading toward the lift. "Colby and I will be honest. Won't we, Colby?"

"Of course, Don. Absolutely. Whatever you say," Colby said as he joined Don in the lift line.

"Men," Megan said as she, David and Charlie took their places in line. "Always so competitive."

"Not all men," Charlie said, grinning.

"Oh, yeah, right. You're trying to tell me you're not competitive, Charlie? I've seen you when someone challenges your work. It is not a pretty sight."

"Well, that's my lifework. This – this is just skiing. This is recreation. Fun."

"And competition is how your brother and Colby have fun," Megan said.

"More power to them," Charlie said as he stepped up on the platform to wait for the next chair. "I'm going to take it easy today. I think I'll take one or two more runs here, and then go join Amita and the others."

"Sounds good to me," Megan said. "I wonder how Larry is doing."

"Hey, I'll bet he's having the time of his life, surrounded by all this white," Charlie chuckled.

"Let's hope he's not eating too much of it," David said, grinning.

When they reached the top, Megan counted down for Don and Colby again. Even Colby had to agree that Don clearly won the second race, which brought them to their agreed-upon tiebreaker.

"Okay," Don said, "Charlie has offered to stay down here and watch our finish."

"No fair," Colby said. "He's your brother. He's biased."

"And Megan and David work for me. So, they're biased too. Besides, I'm gonna beat you so bad, even Charlie couldn't get it wrong."

"What the heck, Don!" Charlie squeaked. "You're always saying your solve rate has gone up since I started consulting for you. Give me a break."

"How about Ben or Maggie?" Colby suggested.

"They're not here right now," Don said. "Charlie, are you capable of rendering a fair, unbiased decision?"

"Sure. Listen, Colby, do you have any brothers?"

"Yeah. Two. Why?"

"Do you always like your brothers?"

"No. Not always."

"Do you always agree with them about everything?"

"No."

"Are there times when you would love to see them get their butts kicked?"

Colby laughed. "Good point, Charlie. You're just as likely to be biased against your brother as to be biased in his favor, right?"

"You got it. Now get going, you guys. And be careful."

"Don't worry about us, Chuck. We've got this slope down pat," Don said, waving as they headed off toward the chairlift.


	9. Chapter 9

Charlie watched his four friends board the chairlift, then he moved back out of the way of oncoming skiers. He discovered that pacing on skis is not an easy task. He had a rough idea of how long his earlier runs had taken, so he had an idea of how long he should wait before he started squinting into the blindingly white snow. That didn't stop him from staring up the slope mere seconds after they had boarded the chairlift. He nervously tapped the snow with his ski poles, moving into and out of the way of annoyed skiers.

Finally, after he looked at his watch for the hundredth time, he caught sight of two familiar figures. The blue dot was Don, and the gray dot was Colby, and they appeared to be running neck and neck down the slope. He didn't see anyone in front of them, and it looked like they were going full bore. Megan was right about their competitive spirit. Charlie found himself grinning as they approached.

In spite of his promise to be unbiased, he was thrilled when he saw the blue figure move ahead of the gray figure. "Go, Don!" he yelled, knowing perfectly well that Don couldn't hear him. Don opened a bigger lead as they got closer. "Yeah, Don!" He yelled, waving his poles in the air.

They were doing great. He held his breath as Don approached a little mogul about three hundred yards from the end. That mogul had given Charlie fits on both of his runs, and he had been going a lot slower. Don took the mogul perfectly, widening the gap between himself and Colby. A few seconds later, Colby hit the mogul just right. "Wow," Charlie said. "Go, Colby."

Don was close enough to recognize his brother, and lifted a pole in greeting. Charlie grinned broadly. "Go, Don! Come on! You got him!"

Moments later, Don shushed to a dramatic stop beside him, followed closely by Colby.

"Great job, both of you!" Charlie yelled as they took off their goggles. "Congratulations, Don!"

"See," Colby said, grinning. "I told you he was biased."

"Hey!" Charlie huffed. "Don clearly..."

"I'm just kidding, Charlie." He slapped Don on the back. "Congratulations, Boss. I don't suppose you want to go for best three out of five..."

"No way," Don said. "I'm getting too old for this crap. I do want to try a few things, though. You going up again?"

"Oh, yeah."

David arrived, closely followed by Megan. "Hey," Don called as they approached, "You guys going up again?"

"I think I'll go find Larry," Megan said, "You racing again?" 

Colby laughed, "No. The old man wants to quit while he's ahead. He's planning on taking it slow this time. Charlie, you going to go up?"

"You bet. But I think I'll go find Amita after this next run."

David came up alongside Colby. "I'll race you this time."

"Oh, man, you are on. Let's go!"

Megan started toward the green trail, then stopped and turned around. "You guys want to get lunch in an hour or so?"

Don checked his watch. "How about we meet at the lodge in two hours."

"Sounds good! I"ll tell the others," Megan said.

When they reached the top of the trail, Don played starter for David and Colby. When they had taken off, he turned to Charlie. "I'm going to try a few things."

"What kind of things? Anything I can help with?" 

Don chuckled. "No, it's more of a muscle memory thing than an analytical thing. I know what I want to do, but my body hasn't caught up with my brain yet."

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I have that problem whenever I play golf with Dad."

"No comment," Don said, chuckling. "You want to go ahead of me?"

"Nah. I'm going to take it easy. You go ahead."

"Okay. See you at the end of the trail," Don said as he pushed himself off to his start.

Charlie waited as Don started, then started down the slope at a comfortable pace. He was watching the shadows cast by the nearby trees, letting his mind analyze them, working formulae in his head, when he caught movement to the right, out of the corner of his eye. He tried to stop, veering to the left, but Don was too close.

He slammed into his brother, sending both of them flying off the trail and into the woods. Charlie's left ski lifted off the ground as he veered, then slammed back to the ground at an awkward angle as he overcompensated. He could have sworn he heard the bones snap. He sure as hell felt his leg give way after the impact, plunging him into the snow. He curled up, reaching his arms up to protect his head as he slid to a stop against a tree.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "Don? Don!" He couldn't see his brother without moving, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to move. Carefully, he assessed the damage to his body. His left leg was obviously broken. It was slightly bent between the knee and ankle, and his ski pants were soaked in blood. The rest of his body seemed to be bruised but not broken. So he braced his palms against the ground and pushed himself to a sitting position. "Don?" he called, looking around. He saw a motionless lump about ten feet away. "Don?"

Using his hands and his right leg, Charlie managed to drag himself painfully to Don's side. He bit his lip and touched Don's face. "Don?" He felt along Don's neck until he found his pulse. Charlie brushed the snow away from Don's head, and was stunned to see that the snow was red. He pushed himself a little further, trying to get a look at Don's head without moving him. Blood oozed from a gash on the left side of his head, matting the hair.

Charlie reached into his pocket for his cell phone. He flipped it open, and was stunned to see the screen was shattered. He tried dialing Amita's number, but nothing happened.


	10. Chapter 10

Charlie stared at the phone for a moment, then stuffed it back into his pocket. He touched Don's face and considered his options. His first priority was to tend to his brother. He grabbed a handful of snow and pressed it gently against the gash. He knew pressure would stop the bleeding, but he didn't want to risk further injuring Don if his skull was fractured. He blinked back tears. If Don's skull was fractured, it would have been his fault.

Don's eyes fluttered and he tried to pull away from the contact.

"Don!" Charlie said, tears running down his cheeks. "Stay still. I'm trying to stop the bleeding."

"Bleeding? What...?"

"Don, I'm sorry. I ..." he stopped, and gulped. "I wasn't paying attention. It's all my fault. You might have a broken skull. I could have killed you..."

"Buddy," Don murmured. "It's okay. I'm alive. I'm gonna be fine. Are you okay?" When Charlie didn't answer, Don opened his eyes and tried to focus on his brother's face. "Charlie! Are you okay?"

"Not really. My leg's broken," Charlie sniffed. "But I'm more worried about you.

Don reached out and took Charlie's hand. "Are you crying, Buddy?"

Charlie sniffed loudly. "No. I'm not crying. I'm just cold."

Don squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced. "Sure."

"All right. I am crying," Charlie said, angrily wiping tears from his face. "It tears me apart to think you could have been dead because of me, okay?"

"Charlie," Don said, squeezing Charlie's hand. "Don't worry about that now. Worry about how we're going to get out of here. Did you try your cell phone?"

"Mine's broken. Do you have yours?"

"Jacket. Right pocket."

"Got it." Charlie flipped the phone open. "It's working, but no signal." He chuckled mirthlessly. "Why's it seem like you never get a signal when you need one?"

"Maybe the cell companies need better mathematicians," Don muttered, "Tell 'em where to put their towers."

Charlie snapped the phone shut and shoved it into his pocket. "I'll tell 'em where to put their towers. You stay here. I'm going to see if I can get out of the woods where someone can see me." He planted his palms in the snow on his right side and holding his left leg off the ground, rolled himself into a crawling position. Careful as he was, the motion still jarred his broken leg, and he grunted in pain.

"You can't get far with that leg. You stay. I'll go."

"NO!" Charlie rolled back onto his butt and put his hand on Don's shoulder. "Please, Don, don't move. You hit your head. You were unconscious. It's possible you broke something – your skull, your neck... And moving would just make things worse. Please, just stay here. It isn't that far. I can crawl to the edge of the trail, and either get a cell signal or attract someone's attention."

"Okay. I'll stay. But you be careful, Buddy. Please?"

"I will. We've got hours of daylight left, and we're supposed to meet for lunch in..." he checked his watch... "a little over an hour. Once we don't show up, everybody will come looking for us."

"I can wait an hour. Why don't you just stay here?"

"How are they going to know where to find us in this mile long trail? I'll be careful. And don't you dare move."

"You win. I'm staying put," Don said, sighing as his eyes drifted shut.

Charlie glanced around, making sure he was heading in the right direction, and started crawling, slowly, painfully.

At the base of the trail, David stood, shielding his eyes and squinting into the glare of the snow. "They weren't that far behind us, were they?"

Colby shook his head, "I don't think so. But Don did say he wanted to work on some stuff. So maybe he decided not to come straight down."

"That's probably it," David said. "Let's go back up and see what they're up to."

As they rode the lift back up, Colby and David studied the trail. When they reached the top, David said, "I didn't see them, did you?"

"No. That's mighty strange. You want to look for them on the way down?"

"Yeah," David said, shaking his head. "It's probably nothing, but I'd feel better if we have a look."

"Me too," Colby said, pulling his goggles into place. "How about I take the left side, and you take the right?"

"Sounds good to me."

Charlie stopped to catch his breath, looking over his shoulder at Don's still form. He closed his eyes and tried to shift his leg into a more comfortable position. He had tried holding it up. He had tried letting it drag. Nothing worked. It still hurt like a son of a gun. But he had only another ten feet to go. He passed his poles. His skis were a couple of feet ahead of him. The skis had released the way they were supposed to, but he couldn't remember dropping his poles.

A noise from the trail ahead of him attracted his attention. "Hey!" he yelled at the passing skier. "Help!" He doubted the skier even heard him.

Gritting his teeth, he started moving toward the trail again. He heard another skier approaching, and yelled again. But this time, he grabbed a ski, and pushing himself to his knees, took the ski in both hands and threw it toward the clearing. The ski clattered off a tree, and tipped end over end into the clearing. But too late. The skier passed, not hearing or seeing anything.


	11. Chapter 11

Colby moved slowly down the his side of the trail, stopping to look through the trees, into gullies, and behind moguls – every place that couldn't be seen from the chairlift. Two skiers had speeded past him. As he watched them go down the trail, he noticed something strange. Something flew out of the woods as the second skier passed. He thought at first it was a bird, or some sort of animal, but when it came to rest in the snow, he realized it was a ski.

"David!" Colby yelled. When David looked his way, he pointed at the ski and started down the slope, repeatedly calling Don and Charlie's names. When he reached the ski, he heard rustling in the woods.

"Colby?" a voice said softly. "Help..."

Colby hurried toward the voice. "Charlie! What happened?"

Charlie was on all fours, swaying, about five feet away from the trail. "Colby... help Don." Charlie shifted his weight and used his right hand to point behind him to a figure in the snow. "He hit his head." He wobbled and then collapsed into the snow with a groan.

David pulled up beside Colby and removed his skis. "You stay with Charlie," he said, "I'll go check Don."

"Okay," Colby said, pulling out his cell phone. He dialed 911, and requested the Ski Patrol. After describing the nature of his emergency, he put the phone away, took off his skis and knelt down beside Charlie. "Charlie. Buddy. Wake up." When Charlie didn't stir, Colby gently rolled him onto his back. As he checked for injuries, the only thing he found was the broken leg. When he gently pressed on the leg, Charlie gasped in pain. "Okay, Charlie. It's okay now," he murmured. "Help is on its way, Buddy."

"Don?" Charlie moaned. "Is Don okay?"

"David's with him. Listen, Charlie, does anything hurt besides your leg?"

"No. Please check on Don. This is all my fault. I've got to make sure he's okay." Charlie tried to push himself up to a sitting position, but Colby held him down.

"Stay put, Charlie. Don's in good hands." Once Charlie stopped struggling, Colby said, "How is this your fault, Charlie? It looks like a skiing accident to me."

"I wasn't paying attention. I was behind Don, and I should have known where he was. But I was ... I was in my own head, you know?"

"Oh, yeah, I know how you can be. Doing calculations, right?"

Charlie nodded, tears springing to his eyes. "I just... all of a sudden, he was crossing right in front of me... I couldn't stop." Charlie struggled again to sit up. "I've got to see him."

"Stay here, Charlie. I'll go see how he's doing." Colby stood and pointed a warning finger at Charlie. "Don't move."

Charlie nodded and folded his arms over his chest. He was shivering and his teeth had begun to chatter.

"What's wrong?" Colby asked.

"Just c-c-cold," Charlie said.

Colby slipped out of his own jacket and put it over Charlie. "Is that better?"

Charlie nodded, still shivering.

"Okay, Buddy. I'll be back in a minute. Don't move."

David looked up when Colby knelt beside him. "How's Charlie?" he asked.

"He sent me to check on Don," Colby said. "His leg is broken. He's either going into shock, or has the beginnings of hypothermia, and somehow he's convinced himself that this is all his fault."

David chuckled and shook his head. "I can't believe these two. Don woke up long enough to ask me how Charlie's doing."

"And he passed out again? That can't be good." Colby glanced over his shoulder at Charlie who was straining to see them. "I'd better get back and make up something to tell Charlie."

"I tried calling Alan, but I don't have a signal here."

"Aw, crap, I completely forgot about calling Alan." Colby stood and opened his phone. He scrolled through his directory until he found Alan's number. He pressed the call button as he walked back to Charlie. "Alan, this is Colby Granger."

"Colby! How are you guys doing?"

"Not so good," Colby said. "Don and Charlie have had a collision. I've called the Ski Patrol, and they should be here any minute to bring 'em down."

"My God, Colby! What happened?"

"Apparently Charlie ran into Don. Looks like Don's got a concussion, and Charlie's got a broken leg." He sat on the ground beside Charlie, and held his hand up to stop Charlie's flood of questions. "I'm with Charlie now, and David's with Don. I'll call you when I know more, okay?"

"Okay," Alan said softly. "But they're okay, right? Nothing life threatening."

Colby smiled, meeting Charlie's gaze. "Nothing life threatening, Alan. They're both gonna be just fine."

After he finished the call, Colby said to Charlie, "Don was asking about you, Charlie. He wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You talked to him? You're sure he's okay?"

"David talked to him. He's resting now..."

"Resting?" Charlie said, panic crossing his face. "Or unconscious?"

"I don't know. We didn't want to disturb him." Colby heard a noise coming from the trail. "Stay here, Charlie. I think the Ski Patrol is here."


	12. Chapter 12

Alan closed his phone and stood staring numbly. Amita came up beside him. "Alan? What's wrong?"

"Don and Charlie."

"Oh my God! What happened?" Amita moved to stand in front of Alan. "Alan?"

"They had an accident." He waved vaguely in the direction of the black diamond trail. "Up there. Colby and David found them."

"Found them? They aren't ..."

Alan blinked and finally met Amita's eyes. "No! Colby said they'll both be fine. He said Don has a concussion and Charlie broke his leg. He was waiting for the Ski Patrol to get there."

"Should we go up there?"

"I don't think so. Colby said he'd keep me informed."

"What's going on?" Megan said as the rest of the group joined them.

Alan took a deep breath and released it in a long sigh. "Colby just called me. Don and Charlie have been hurt. Apparently, Charlie ran into Don while they were skiing, and Charlie broke his leg and Don has a concussion."

"Oh, no!" Maggie said, taking Alan's hand. "Alan, that's awful. What do you want us to do?"

"I don't know. We just wait need to until Colby calls to let me know what's going on."

Larry was gnawing on his knuckle, looking distraught. "Oh, poor Charles. He ran into Don?"

Alan nodded. "That's what Colby said. I'm afraid I don't know the details yet. Maybe we should go to the base of the diamond trail. They'd be coming that way, won't they?"

Megan nodded, "I assume so. Unless they're going to airlift them.." She stopped at Alan's shocked expression. "But I haven't heard a helicopter, so they're probably going to bring them down the trail."

"How do they bring injured people down?" Ben asked as they walked toward the diamond trail.

"Sometimes the Ski Patrol members use special toboggans," Megan said, "and sometimes they have sleds pulled by snowmobiles. Either way, the paramedics stabilize any injuries first, so it may be a while."

"Right," Alan said. "I've seen them bring skiers down the slopes before. They're very good at it."

"Well, that's encouraging," Maggie said.

Colby stepped out onto the trail and watched the approach of six Ski Patrol snowmobiles. He waved to attract their attention. The volunteers dismounted and walked toward him. The first man took off his glove and shook Colby's hand. "I'm Jay Luna. I hear you got two injured men here."

"Colby Granger. Yeah, we've got Charlie, a thirty year old male with a broken leg," he led them to where Charlie lay. "And over there, we've got his brother Don, a thirty five year old with a head injury."

"Thanks." Luna took two team members over to Don as they other three started to work on Charlie.

David stood and shook Jay's hand. "David Sinclair."

"You know the victims?" Luna asked as he knelt beside Don.

"Yeah. Don's my boss. And Charlie consults for us sometimes."

"Okay, good. Did you see what happened?"

"No, they were alone. But Charlie said he ran into Don."

"Has Don regained consciousness at all?"

"Yeah, he talked to Charlie before we got here, and he talked to me briefly."

"And he was lucid?"

"Yeah."

"That's good. Thanks."

David moved back, out of the way as the paramedics worked.

When Jay pulled Don's eyelid open, Don groaned and tried to pull away.

"It's okay, Don. I'm Jay. I'm a paramedic. I just want to check you out before we take you down the hill. Can you tell me what hurts?"

"My head. And I feel like I'm going to puke."

"Okay, Pal, does it hurt anywhere else? Any numbness?"

Don tried to shake his head. "No," he murmured, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Ow!" Charlie yelped.

"Charlie?" Don tried to sit up, but Jay held him down.

"It's okay, Don," Jay said, "they're just putting a splint on his leg."

"David?" Don said. "Can you check on Charlie?"

"Sure, Don. I'll be right back."

David approached the team working on Charlie. Charlie gasped as a paramedic tightened the straps on the splint. The paramedic said, "You're doing great, Charlie. We're almost done."

"Almost?" Charlie moaned.

"Yep, Now we just have to lift you onto the sled and get you out of here."

"Wonderful," Charlie muttered.

David chuckled, "Charlie, you don't sound like you're having a lot of fun here."

"David!" Charlie lifted his head. "How's Don doing? Did he wake up yet?"

"Yeah. He heard you yelling, and sent me over here to see how you're doing."

Colby laughed. "You two are something else, Charlie. You're worried about Don. He's worried about you. And the two of you are keeping David and me running back and forth relaying messages. I hope they put the two of you in the same hospital room."


	13. Chapter 13

As the paramedics loaded Don and Charlie onto the sleds, David and Colby put their skis back on and headed down the hill. "They're going to have to take it slow," Colby explained. "We can make it down before they do."

He was right. As he expected, Alan, Amita, Megan, Larry, Ben and Maggie were waiting impatiently for them.

As they took off their goggles, Alan rushed forward and grabbed Colby's arm. "Colby! Where are they? What's going on?"

"The Ski Patrol is bringing them down with snowmobiles. Listen, Alan, Don and Charlie will be okay. They're both conscious, and I don't think their injuries are too bad."

"It'll kind of put a damper on Christmas tomorrow, though," David said softly.

Amita nodded. "After all the work Charlie went to to set this up, and he won't be able to enjoy it."

"Here they come!" Megan said, pointing at the group of snowmobiles coming toward them.

The six snowmobiles, two of them pulling sleds, came to a halt. While the other paramedics checked on their two charges, Jay approached Colby. "No sign of the ambulance yet?"

"Not yet. Alan Eppes, this is Jay Luna. Jay, Alan is Don and Charlie's father," Colby introduced the two men.

"Mr. Eppes," Jay said, shaking Alan's hand, "let me take you to your sons. They're doing fine, by the way. Charlie may be in the hospital for a couple of days. He's got a nasty break. But Don should be home tonight. Probably won't be skiing for a while, though," Jay said as he led Alan to the sleds.

The first sled they came to held Don. Alan gasped as he caught sight of Don's head, swathed in gauze, his eyes closed in a grimace of pain, his face deathly pale. "Donnie," he whispered as he dropped to his knees beside the sled.

Don's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled, "Hey, Dad."

"Don," Alan touched Don's cheek, "how are you doing?"

"Not so great," Don murmured.

Alan smiled, "At least you didn't say 'fine.'"

"Would you have believed me?" Don said with a shadow of a grin.

"No, but that's never stopped you before."

"Have you seen Charlie yet?"

"No. Amita's with him. I want to stay with you."

Don raised his eyebrows. "Thanks, Dad."

"Can I get you anything? Are you comfortable?"

"I think I'm set, Dad. I'm as comfortable as I'm gonna be, I guess." After a moment of silence, Don said, "Charlie's blaming himself for this, you know."

"Why? Was it his fault?"

"It happened so fast, I'm not really sure. He was behind me, but I was taking my time, going back and forth, trying stuff, working on my technique. Next thing I know, he's there, right in my way. We slammed into each other, and both went flying." His hand went up, touching the bandage on his head. "I hit my head, and don't really remember anything else. But, yeah, I guess it was his fault."

"And he's taking it pretty badly?"

Don started to nod, but stopped himself with a grimace. "Yeah."

"And how did you handle it?"

Don sighed. "Not very well. I told him I'd live, and he should spend his time worrying about getting us out of there."

Alan chuckled. "And how'd he respond?"

"He crawled back to the trail, broken leg and all, and found Colby and David. He did good, Dad. He really did." 

"Did you tell him that?"

"No."

"Donnie! Why not?" 

"I passed out, Dad. Then when I woke up, the paramedics were all over us. I haven't had a chance."

"I'm sorry. I should have known..."

"It's okay, Dad. I'm guessing you're kind of stressed out right now."

"That's putting it mildly." Alan rubbed Don's shoulder gently. He glanced up and saw Colby, Megan and David approaching.

Don tried to follow Alan's gaze, but his head was immobilized. "What's up?"

"Your team is on their way to see you."

"Do me a favor, Dad?" 

"Anything, Don."

"Go check on Charlie. Tell him I'm sorry for what I said, or didn't say, or whatever. Just tell him it wasn't his fault, okay? And I'm proud of what he did to get help for us. Tell him, Dad?"

Alan smiled and squeezed Don's shoulder. "I will."

Amita looked up as Alan approached. She looked worried. "Hi, Alan."

"How's our boy doing?"

Charlie craned his neck to see his father. "Hi, Dad," he said, his teeth chattering in spite of the layers of blankets the paramedics had wrapped around him.

Alan touched Charlie's face. "You're freezing, son."

"I know. I haven't been warm since I passed out in the snow."

"Don didn't tell me that part."

"He probably didn't know it. I think he passed out while I was trying to get to the edge of the woods."

"The woods? You were in the woods?"

"Yeah. When I ran into Don, we were at the edge of the trail. The impact threw us into the woods. My cell phone was broken, and Don wasn't getting a signal. Don had a head injury, so I didn't want him to move. So I tried crawling back to the trail, so someone would see us." He shook his head. "I didn't quite make it."

"So how'd Colby and David find you?"

"When I heard skiers, and I knew they didn't hear or see me, I picked up one of my skis and threw it as hard as I could. Colby saw it."

Alan nodded. "Good thinking, to throw the ski like that."

"I had to do something to try to make it up to Don. The least I could do was get us out of the jam I put us in."

"Don thinks you're feeling guilty about the accident."

"With good reason, Dad. It was all my fault. Don wouldn't be hurt if I'd been paying attention to where I was going."

"He asked me to tell you something."

Charlie reached a trembling hand out from under the blankets and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What?"

"He's proud of you."

Charlie looked up at Alan, "You're kidding. I nearly got him killed."

"He's not proud of you for that, Charlie. He's proud of the fact that even with your broken leg, you managed to get help. And he's sorry for what he said to you after the accident."

Charlie rubbed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. "He shouldn't be sorry. He forced me to stop focusing on my own shortcomings and figure out a way to get help."

Alan turned at the sound of sirens. "I think your ride is here, Charlie. We'll talk about this more when you're feeling better."


	14. Chapter 14

Alan rode in the ambulance with Don, and Amita rode with Charlie. The others walked back to the cabin so they could drive to the hospital. By the time they arrived, Don and Charlie had been taken into examination rooms, Alan was pacing anxiously in the waiting room, and Amita sat, unable to tear her eyes away from the door where they'd taken Charlie. Megan walked up to Alan and put an arm around his shoulders. "Any word yet?"

Alan shook his head. "No, not yet."

David said, "Alan, would you like some coffee?"

"I suppose a stiff shot is out of the question," Alan said with the ghost of a smile.

Colby chuckled. "I could ask at the cafeteria..."

"I'm fine. You don't all have to wait here with us..."

Maggie sat next to Amita. "We want to. We talked about it when we got back to the cabin, and it was unanimous."

"That's right," Ben continued, "None of us wanted to stay back there and wait and wonder what was going on." Ben sat on the other side of Amita and took her hand. "Amita? Would you like me to find you a cup of tea?"

She started to shake her head, then stopped and said, "I think so. Yes, that would be nice."

Ben squeezed Amita's hand and stood. "Anybody else for coffee or tea?"

Ben, Colby and David went in search of a cafeteria while the others sat and waited. Larry slipped into the seat Ben had vacated. "Amita," he said softly. "He will be all right, you know. He's young and healthy..."

"I know. But, Larry, young, healthy people die every day."

"Not of broken legs," Megan said as she sat next to Larry.

"Oh, I beg to differ," Larry began, "My uncle..."

"Larry, hush," Megan said. "We're supposed to be encouraging Amita, not scaring her half to death with tales of your family."

"I'm sorry," Larry said with a chuckle, "I keep forgetting that my family is more than a little... shall we say... unusual."

"So," Megan said, in a desperate attempt to redirect the conversation, "Amita, Alan, how were the boys on the way in?"

Alan stopped his pacing and settled into a chair near the others. "Don was lucid. He said his head hurt like a son of a... gun."

"Charlie's leg... It looked awful. The bone poked through the skin. He was in a lot of pain, but he tried to make jokes about it. I think he was afraid I was going to freak out or something."

"Well," Megan said, "I know I'd freak out if I saw someone I cared about hurting like that. I'm sure he was glad to have you there with him."

Amita nodded and wiped her eyes. "I'm sure he was."

Maggie glanced up and saw Alan approaching. She stood and let him take her seat next to Amita. When he sat, he took Amita's hand. "Amita, dear, I think I know my son well enough to say that he was glad to have you with him."

"Thanks, Alan. I'm glad to hear that Don is doing okay. Charlie is really worried about him."

Alan said, "I know."

Maggie said, "It looks like they took them in quickly."

Alan nodded, "When we got here, they were ready for us. They took the boys right into examination rooms. The ER doctor stayed with us long enough for introductions, then the nurse brought us out here to wait." He shrugged. "And that's it so far."

A few minutes later, Ben, Colby and David returned with cardboard carriers filled with cups. Colby handed a cup to Alan. "Sorry, but they were all out of whiskey."

"This'll have to do then," Alan said, taking the cup.

Ben said, "Colby and David have coffee, and have the tea."

"We didn't know who wanted what," David said, handing a cup to Megan, "so we brought creamers and sugar packets along."

"This is a nice little hospital," Ben said, settling into a chair next to Maggie and handing her a cup of tea.

"Yes, it is." Maggie said, "Thank you for the tea, dear."

"Is there any word on how they're doing?"

"Not yet. We've just been waiting."

The waiting room fell silent as they sipped from their cups and let their thoughts wander through the events of the day.

When the door opened, revealing a doctor in scrubs, Alan stood, "Dr. Green, how are they?"

"Alan," he approached, smiling, "do you want the good news or the better news first? Here, let's sit."

Alan sat and smiled cautiously. "The better news."

"Don is going to be just fine. He has a concussion. I had to give him a few stitches, and he'll have a hellacious headache for a few days. We'd like to keep him here overnight for observation."

"Wonderful! And Charlie?"

"Well, Charlie's case is a little more complicated. He broke his tibia – the shin bone – and the fibula, next to it. I've called the orthopedic surgeon and he's on his way in now. The bones are displaced." He held his hands knuckles to knuckles and tilted them slightly, sliding one hand alongside the other. "When that happens, especially on a bone that takes the abuse the tibia does, it needs to be supported. Since the tibia is so close to the surface, almost all tib fib breaks are what we call open, or compound. The bone breaks through the skin. So we can't use a normal cast because of the risk of infection."

"So how do you support the bones?" Alan asked.

"With a metal framework on the outside of the leg, attached to the bones with pins."

"Pins? That must be painful," Alan said, growing pale.

"Not really, amazingly. The pain is easily controlled. I discussed this with Charlie already, and told him that if he prefers to have this done in LA, we can stabilize the break and make him comfortable for transportation." Dr. Green shrugged, "But I did also tell him that being so close to so many ski resorts, we have an excellent orthopedic team. He elected to stay here for the surgery."

"That makes sense," Alan said. "How long will he be here?"

"Four or five days, if all goes well," Dr. Green stood. "Any other questions before I take you back to see them?"

"I don't think so," Alan said.

Dr. Green looked at the group with Alan and said, "I'm sorry, but I can only let two of you in to see them, and then only for a few minutes."

Alan held out his hand to Amita, and the two of them joined Dr. Green. "We put both of them in the same room," Green said, "after making sure they were willing to waive their privacy rights, of course. Can't be too careful these days."

He opened the door to the examination room, and said, "Hey, guys, you up for some company?"

Don and Charlie both opened their eyes. "Hey," Don said hoarsely, "Dad, Amita."

"You two boys look like crap," Alan said.

"Why, thank you, Father," Charlie said, rubbing his eyes. "We feel like crap, too." He tried to shift into a more comfortable position, and hissed in pain.

"I told your Dad what was going on with you two," Dr. Green said. "I'll leave you to catch up for a few minutes. Charlie, the orthopod is on his way. Once he decides what we're going to do, I'll get you something for the pain."

"That would be good," Charlie said softly.

Alan sat on the edge of Charlie's bed and touched his forehead, "You finally warmed up. You stopped shivering."

"Yeah."

"Why don't you just rest, Charlie. Looks like it's finally all catching up to you."

"I think you're right," Charlie said, letting his eyes drift shut.

Don said, "I think it was the trip to radiology that did him in."

Amita nodded at the xrays hanging from the viewer on Don's side of the room. "Looks like you had your own visit to radiology."

"Yeah," Don glanced at the films. "All those shots of my head, and they didn't find anything," he said with a grin.

"Not enough magnification," Charlie murmured.

"Shut up, Chuck."


	15. Chapter 15

Dr. Green entered the room, accompanied by a gray haired man wearing jeans and a Hard Rock Cafe sweatshirt. "This is Dr. Wasserman. Dan, this is your patient, Charlie Eppes. His roommate is his brother, Don Eppes. We don't think Don will need your help today."

Wasserman stepped forward and shook Charlie's hand. "I'd say 'nice to meet you,' but I'm sure you'd rather not be meeting me... wait... Dr. Charles Eppes? Of Cal Sci?"

"Yes..." Charlie said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Do I know you?"

"My daughter is in one of your classes. She talks about you all the time. Mandy Wasserman?"

"Oh, yes, Mandy. She's a great kid. And I'm really pleased with her progress."

"She'll be glad to hear that. I can't wait to tell her I've met you. But, let's get down to business here." He held up a metal contraption. "This is an external fixator." He held it against Charlie's good leg. "It goes like this, held to the two bone segments by screws." He hesitated as he noticed how pale Charlie had gotten. "Amazingly, it's not painful at all. It allows access to the wound on your leg where the bone broke through the skin." He put the fixator on the bed beside Charlie.

Charlie gulped and bit his lower lip. "It looks painful."

Wasserman held up a color photograph. "This is how the device looks in place."

Charlie's face had gone from pale to green. He moaned and rolled onto his side, "I'm gonna be ..."

Wasserman dropped the photo and grabbed an emesis basin, holding it until Charlie was finished. He looked apologetically at Alan, Amita and Don. "Sadly, that is a common reaction. It really is not as bad as it looks, but I find my patients have better outcomes if they know what they're getting into." He poured a little water into a cup and put a straw between Charlie's lips. "Here, rinse and spit. Don't swallow." He held the emesis basin for Charlie again until he was done rinsing.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said, rolling onto his back with a grimace. "Tell me again why you can't just put a cast on it?"

"Infection. You have an open wound, which will get infected if we cover it with a cast. Have you ever had a cast before?"

Charlie shook his head. "No."

"Believe me, casts bring their own sets of miseries. They itch like crazy. They stink. They lead to muscle atrophy. You'll heal faster, and more comfortably with an external fixator. And you'll most likely have it taken off in a few weeks."

Charlie sighed. "A few weeks..." He glanced at Amita. "I hope you don't mind dating Frankenstein's monster."

"More like the bionic man. As long as we don't go dancing, we'll be fine," Amita said, squeezing Charlie's hand.

"So when are we doing this?" Charlie asked Dr. Wasserman.

"When did you eat last?" Dr. Wasserman said, then looked at the emesis basin. "Sorry. I guess it doesn't matter. I've got an OR waiting, and the team is gathering. How about you spend a few more minutes with your family, and then I'll send a nurse in to prep you? The anesthesiologist will be in to check you, as well."

"Okay," Charlie said, reluctantly.

"Don't worry," Wasserman said, picking up his props. "You're going to do just fine. Oh, and I'll get you started on pain meds, too. I know that's gotta hurt like hell."

"Thanks," Charlie said.

Alan took a deep breath, and released it in a long sigh. "Well, Charlie, you don't do things halfway, do you?"

"No, Dad, I do not. Do you think I should have offered to give Mandy an A?"

Alan chuckled. "It couldn't hurt."

Amita took Charlie's hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked up at her and noticed tears in her eyes. "Don't worry," he said, "I'll be fine. Dr. Wasserman is one of the best in the country."

"Besides," Don said, "his daughter thinks you're hot, Chuck. She'd never forgive daddy if he screwed up."

"Shaddup," Charlie said, grinning in spite of himself.

Maggie watched as Alan and Amita left the waiting room. She jumped when Ben touched her hand, and turned to look at him.

"Why don't we pray for them?" he asked softly.

"Good idea," Maggie said, turning her chair slightly so she faced Ben. She took both of his hands in hers. "Go ahead."

"Father, God, please watch over..." Ben was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. He looked up to see Colby and David standing beside him.

"Mind if we join in?" Colby asked.

"Not at all," Ben said, releasing Maggie's hands and turning his chair to allow the two newcomers to add their chairs to the circle.

"What's going on?" Megan asked, as she and Larry approached.

"We thought we'd pray for Don and Charlie," Ben said, blushing slightly.

Megan glanced at Larry. "Well, it certainly can't hurt, can it?"

"Not at all," Larry said, pulling up two more chairs. "In fact, there have been studies that show that patients improve when people pray for them. Even when the patients and their doctors are unaware of the prayer. I personally am not certain I believe in a God who answers prayers, but I've learned that an open mind is a positive thing."

When everyone was settled, Ben started again, "Father, God, you know that Don and Charlie are very dear to all of us. We ask you to minimize their pain, and help them to recover quickly. And, please be with Alan and Amita as well. Don and Charlie are even more special to them than they are to us. Their hearts must be breaking to see them like this. Give them the strength they'll need to help Don and Charlie through their recuperations. Amen."

There was a murmur of amens around the circle. Gradually, the participants opened their eyes and released each other's hands. Megan smiled, and touched Ben's hand. "Thank you, Ben. That was very nice."

They went back to sipping coffee and tea and talking quietly among themselves as they waited for news on their friends.

They mobbed Alan and Amita when they came back into the waiting room. "How are they?" Megan asked.

"They're picking on each other." Alan said.

Megan laughed. "That's a good sign."

"They're prepping Charlie for surgery now. They expect it to last a couple of hours. They're moving Don into a room now. He just really wants to sleep. He suggested we take off for a while, get some lunch, whatever, and then come back and wait in the room with him."

"They're going to let that many of us in the room?" Maggie asked.

"Special dispensation for Christmas Eve," Amita said, smiling. "The hospital staff are in a festive spirit."

"Yeah," Alan added, "it's hard on them to be here, so they know it's got to be doubly hard on the friends and family of their patients."

"You know," Ben said, "perhaps we could brighten things up for everyone."

"What do you mean?" Alan asked.

"Well, Charlie went to a lot of work getting Christmas ready for us. Why don't we transfer what we can here, and celebrate with the staff?"

Alan grinned. "Why not? Christmas was started by Jews. No reason we can't continue it."


	16. Chapter 16

Once they reached the parking lot, they worked out the driving arrangements. Colby said, "Listen, I need to pick up a couple of things before I go back to the cabin. Anyone else need anything from the store?"

Alan shook his head. "Offhand, no. If I think of anything when I get back to the cabin, I'll call you on your cell phone, all right?"

David, Megan and Larry ended up going to the store with Colby while Ben, Maggie, Amita and Alan went straight to the cabin. Once they arrived, Alan made a quick check of the refrigerator and cabinets. "Looks like we have everything we need. Charlie did a great job of planning this. Probably did it mathematically."

Amita grinned. "He was working on some algorithms he wouldn't explain to me a few days ago."

"You're kidding," Maggie said. "Is there anything he can't solve mathematically?"

Alan glanced at Amita and grinned, "Until recently, I despaired of him ever figuring out interpersonal relationships. But he seems to have figured that out. I just don't know if he figured it out mathematically, or found some other way."

Amita blushed, "Uh... What do you think we should bring to the hospital, Alan?"

Don had been dozing when he heard the rustling of paper bags and a suppressed giggle. He heard his father hissing, "Shhh. You'll wake him up."

Don opened his eyes and said, "Too late, Dad."

"Aww, Donnie, I'm sorry. We should have waited..."

"I wasn't really sleeping, Dad. It just doesn't hurt as much when my eyes are closed."

"Have you told the nurses?"

"Told 'em what? I have a concussion. I'm going to have a headache. You know I don't like taking medicine if I don't really need it. So, what's all this stuff?"

"Well, it seemed a shame to let all Charlie's planning go to waste," Maggie said, putting a grocery bag on the empty bed. "So we decided to bring what we could here."

"That's great. He'll really enjoy it," Don said, smiling.

"Right," Alan said, "and it's for the staff too. They're spending the holiday away from their families and friends."

"I like it," Don said, grinning broadly. "Let me help," he sat up slowly and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Suddenly he stopped and reddened. "Ah, Dad, did you happen to bring any pajamas?"

Alan held up a bag, "Here you go. "We'll just step out and give you some privacy."

When Don had changed, he walked carefully to the door and pulled it open. "Okay, I"m decent."

"Donnie! Get back in bed," Alan ordered, taking Don's arm.

"Dad, I'm fine. I need to get up and move around a little. I promise I'll lie down if I start to feel dizzy."

Maggie patted Alan's back. "Come on, Alan, you're mother-henning."

Alan started to protest, then sighed. "You're right." He turned to Don, "Donnie, you're a grown man, capable of knowing his own limitations. But so help me, if you fall down and hurt yourself, I'll..."

"You'll what, Dad," Don said, grinning. "You'll kill me?"

"Now, now," Ben said, glancing at his watch. "Charlie'll be here soon. Shouldn't we get to work?"

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Don asked as he peeked inside a bag that Amita was carrying.

"Colby said he had some last minute shopping to do, and the others decided to go with him," she said, putting the bag on Don's bed. "We borrowed a few of these decorations from the cabin."

"Borrowed?" Don said. "Borrowed, as in stole?"

"Not really, Agent Eppes," Amita said, grinning. "We're going to take them back tomorrow."

"And you'll be out of here tomorrow, and you can make sure we do," Alan said. "Ben, why don't we go out to the car and get the rest of the stuff? We'll let Don and the girls start decorating."

After they left, Maggie said, "Don, really, if you're not feeling up to this..."

"Don't you start mother-henning me, too," Don said with a chuckle. "I feel like I'm being tag teamed."

Amita pulled out a string of garland. "Why don't we put this up here, by the head of the bed? I've got one for your bed, too."

"Nice," Don said, "just be careful you don't mess with those medical gas outlets."

"True," Maggie laughed. "We wouldn't want the room flooded with nitrous oxide, would we?"

"Excuse me," a voice came from the door. "I was looking for the Eppes family." A young woman in full O.R. scrubs stood in the doorway.

Don felt a wave of fear. He fought to steady his voice as he walked toward the woman. "I'm Don Eppes."

"Hi, I'm Annie Weaver. I'm a surgeon on Dr. Wasserman's team. He asked me to let you know that your brother came through the surgery with flying colors. He's in recovery now, and we should be bringing him up here in about half an hour."

Maggie gasped. "Oh, thank God," She said.

Amita wiped a tear from her eye. "That's wonderful," she said.

Don breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great. Thank you for coming to let us know!"

Annie looked at the ornament in Don's hand and smiled. "Doing a little decorating?"

"Hmm?" Don said, following her gaze. "Oh. This. Yeah, my brother planned this skiing weekend for our friends as a kind of Christmas celebration. But since he'll be stuck here for a few days, we figured we'd bring the celebration to him."

"That's so sweet!" Annie said. "What a nice brother you are!"

Maggie nudged Amita. "Why don't we go see if the guys need a hand?"

Amita looked confused at first, then glanced at Don and Annie. "Oh. Right. There's a lot more to bring in."

"We'll be back in a few minutes," Maggie said to Don. Turning to Annie, she said, "I you have time, you're welcome to join in the party."

"Thanks," Annie said. "I think I will." When Maggie and Amita had left, she said, "Well, Mr. Eppes..."

"Don."

"Well, Don, do you have any questions I can answer for you? About Charlie."

"Not really. Dr. Wasserman explained it all pretty well. Was he right about that brace thing not hurting?"

Annie nodded, "Yeah, he was right. Once the swelling goes down and the bones are back where they belong, the pain will actually be quite manageable. And the exterior fixator looks nasty, but it really doesn't add to the discomfort."

"That's good."

"You're the big brother, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You're acting like one. You're worried about Charlie." Annie glanced at her watch. "I've got to get going."

"Okay, well, thanks for coming, Dr. Weaver."

"Annie."

"Annie. You're coming back later, right?"

"Definitely," Annie said, smiling sweetly. "I have to keep an eye on my patient."


	17. Chapter 17

Mere seconds after Annie left, Alan led the parade into Don's room, grinning broadly. He glanced back at the doorway and whispered, "Maggie, you were right. That is one hot doctor."

"Alan!" Maggie gave him a playful punch, "I did not say that!"

"So, Donnie," Alan said, "is the lovely doctor planning on visiting later?"

Don grinned, "Yes, Dad, she is. I invited her to come to the party. What on earth is all that stuff? Did you bring everything from the cabin?"

"Not everything," Ben said, chuckling, "I believe we left the sheets on the bed."

"And we didn't bring the Christmas tree," Amita said. "We couldn't fit it in your SUV."

Don turned to look in the bag his father carried, and had to put his hand on the bedside table to steady himself.

"Okay, Don, I think you'd better supervise," Alan said. "Come on, hop into bed."

Don started to argue with his father, but thought better of it. "Yeah, Dad, I think you're right." He climbed back into bed and raised the head of the bed. "There. Now I can see everything and let you know where you're screwing up."

Maggie and Amita were stringing garland on the wall behind Don's head when the rest of the gang arrived. David carried a scraggly two foot tall Christmas tree. He saw the skeptical look on Alan's face, and said, "Hey, it's Christmas eve. This was the best we could find."

"Did I say anything," Alan said, innocently.

"You didn't have to," David said with a grin, "You expression speaks volumes."

Colby was carrying a grocery bag. He rolled the top shut and placed the bag in the corner. Megan shook her head. "Secret Agent Man over there hasn't let anyone see what's in his bag of tricks."

"Hey, Reeves," Colby said, "how do you know it's not your Christmas present?"

"I don't, Granger, but I kind of hoped you'd bought my present someplace a little more upscale than Bob's Top o' the Mountain Shoppe."

"Hey, it's the thought that counts, you know," Colby watched as David tried in vain to straighten the tree. "David, I think it's a losing battle. Let's just decorate it."

"I have the decorations," Larry said, "Like the tree, the choices were minimal at this late date. But I believe these will accomplish our purpose." He set the bag down on the foot of Don's bed. Don stirred and sighed. Larry glanced at Don's face and said softly, "Shh. Don's sleeping."

They decorated the room as quietly as eight people could do, and Don slept through the whole process. Colby finally opened his paper bag and after swearing everyone else to silence, revealed its contents.

Charlie was moving. He opened his eyes and saw the ceiling tiles passing over his head. It must be time for the operation. He craned his neck, trying to see who was pushing his gurney.

"Hi, Charlie. Welcome back," an unfamiliar female voice said.

"Hi," he croaked. He started to cough.

A hand patted his shoulder. "You'll be in your room in a minute. I'll get you a drink of water there. Don't try to talk. Just relax and enjoy the ride."

"Mmkay," he said, starting another coughing fit.

"Shhh."

This time he didn't try to answer. He just closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the ride, like the voice suggested. The gurney turned, waking him up again. He heard familiar voices. Dad? Don? Amita? Larry? Why are they in the operating room?

The voice said, "Okay, Charlie, we're going to slide you onto your bed. Don't try to help. Just let us do the work, okay?"

He nodded, remembering the voice had told him not to talk.

Suddenly he was sliding sideways. He felt like he was falling out of the bed. He grabbed the sheets, trying to stop his fall.

"Charlie, it's okay. You're not going to fall. We've got you."

As he continued to slide, he heard a man moaning. "Don? Don! Are you okay?" He struggled to sit up. Why weren't they helping Don?

He heard a chuckle. "Buddy, I'm fine."

"I heard you groaning."

"That was you, Buddy."

"Couldn't be," Charlie murmured.

Hands were arranging him on the bed, pulling blankets over him, adjusting his pillow. Someone kissed his cheek. "Amita?" he said, forcing his eyes open. A round face, framed in short brown hair, hovered over him. "Who are you?"

"Don't you remember? I'm Jill."

Charlie blinked, confused. A second kiss on the other cheek. When he was able to focus, he saw another stranger.

"What's going on..." he started to ask, but was interrupted by another coughing fit.

"Sh sh sh," the second stranger said, "Here, have a drink." She slipped a straw between his lips. The cold water soothed his parched throat.

"Thanks," he said.

"Okay," Amita's voice this time, "It's my turn."

Charlie opened his eyes, and smiled drowsily as Amita bent to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a fierce hug.

When she pulled back and saw Charlie's face, she gasped. "Oh, Charlie! I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No. It doesn't hurt at all. Why?"

She wiped his cheek with her fingertips. "You're crying."

"No, I'm not."

The nurse said softly, "His body and brain are a little out of sync from the anesthesia. He'll be back to normal in a little while."

"So he's in pain, but he doesn't know it?"

"Pretty much," the nurse said, "We're starting IV pain meds so when his brain knows what's going on, the pain will be under control." She hung Charlie's IV bag on a besdside pole.

Charlie tried to watch the activity, but his eyelids were growing heavier. He was aware of his father saying something to him, but the words weren't making any sense. He knew he should try to figure it out. It was probably something important, but all he wanted to do was sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Charlie's eyes opened. He was relieved to find that things were making more sense than they had when he had fallen asleep. But one question lingered. "Why were they kissing me?"

"Charlie!" Amita said. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Was I dead?" He was getting confused again.

"No, silly. That's just a figure of speech, Amita said, taking his hand. "You were very much alive throughout the whole process."

"That's good to know." He lifted his head and looked at his legs. The right leg was covered with a blanket, but the left... "That looks nasty," he murmured. The metal contraption Dr. Wasserman had shown him was now attached to his shin. When he focused a little better, he could see screws going through the skin. There was an angry gash, held together with black stitches, apparently where the bone had penetrated the skin. The whole lower leg was bruised and swollen. He looked away, grimacing.

"Does it hurt?" Alan asked. "I can call the nurse."

"No. It doesn't hurt at all. It looks like it should, though."

"Charles?" Larry asked from somewhere in the room. "What were you saying when you woke up? You were mumbling, but it sounded like a question."

"Oh," Charlie searched his memory. "Right. I wanted to know why the nurses were kissing me."

Megan laughed. "That's Granger's fault, Charlie."

"Colby? What'd he do?"

"Nothing," Colby said, "I just did a little decorating of my own."

"With mistletoe," Amita continued.

"Mistletoe?" Charlie was getting confused again. "Why mistletoe?"

"Oh, Charles," Larry chuckled. "Surely you haven't had your head so buried in your mathematical pursuits that you're unaware of the significance of mistletoe."

"Of course I know you kiss people under mistletoe, Larry. I am not culturally illiterate."

"But were you aware that the Vikings believed mistletoe had the power to heal?" Larry asked.

"No, I was not," Charlie said.

Megan laughed, "And I'm sure that's exactly why Granger decided on that particular decoration."

Charlie strained to see Don's bed. "Did Don get the same treatment?"

"Oh, yeah," Colby whispered. "Unfortunately, he hasn't been awake any of the time the nurses have come in."

"And, boy were they disappointed," Alan added. "I thought that last one was going to shake him until he woke up."

"I thought I heard Don talking when the nurses brought me in."

"You did," Maggie said, "but by the time they were finished with you, he was back asleep."

"Is he okay?"

"I'm fine," Don murmured, lifting his head carefully. "Chuck! It sounds like you're a little more coherent than you were the last time I saw you." He raised the head of his bed.

"Barely," Charlie said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like some idiot slammed into me on the ski slope."

"I'm sorry, Don..." 

"Stop. Apologizing. Now," Don commanded. "It was an accident, Buddy. I was just teasing you. Hey, did you see the decorations?"

"Yeah. The hospital really went all out."

"It wasn't the hospital, Charlie, it was these guys," Don waved a hand. "They decided it was a shame to waste the beautiful holiday you planned for us, so they brought everything they could fit in the room."

Charlie looked around, grinning. "You guys did all this? This is amazing. And that tree!"

"And," Alan said, "we've invited the hospital staff to stop by. Your brother has made friends with one of your doctors."

"I didn't think Dr. Wasserman was your type," Charlie said.

"Not Dr. Wasserman," Maggie said, "A lovely young blonde surgeon named Dr. Weaver."

"Weaver?" Charlie scowled. "Any relation to the Dr. Weaver from Genno Labs?"

"I hope not!" David said vehemently. "That guy was creepy."

"Weaver is a common name," Don objected. "What are the odds of... No, Charlie, don't answer that!"

Charlie shrugged, "Okay, I couldn't actually answer it unless I knew how many Weavers there are in the US. I could refine it by eliminating any Weavers who didn't live in California, but I don't know if would really be a valid filter..."

"Charlie!" Don exclaimed. "You're giving me a headache!"

The two nurses who had brought Charlie back into the room chose that moment to return. "Wow," Jill said, "They're both awake at the same time. Tina, why don't you get Don's vitals, and I'll do Charlie's?"

"Gladly," Tina said, pulling a digital thermometer from her pocket.

Colby cleared his throat, "Ah, have you two lovely ladies noticed the mistletoe?"

"Granger!" Don's reprimand was cut short when Tina popped the thermometer probe into his mouth.

"Under the tongue," she said, bending down to kiss him in the middle of the forehead. "Wouldn't want to go afoul of the Norse goddess of love, would we?"

"Ah," Larry exclaimed, "Another student of the ancient myths. You're familiar with the story of Frigga and Balder, I presume?"

Tina laughed as she put the blood pressure cuff on Don's arm, "Oh, yes. Balder was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe, but his mother's tears turned the red mistletoe berries white and brought her son back to life."

"And," Larry continued, "She kissed everyone who walked under mistletoe."

"Thus," Charlie concluded, "the compulsion for nurses to kiss any patients they find under mistletoe."

"Not just any patients," Jill said, grinning. "Okay, Charlie," she said, "let me know if you feel this," she touched the bottom of his left foot.

"Yeah," Charlie said, gasping, "it tickles."

"Sorry," Jill said. "How about this?" she touched his big toe.

"Yeah. At least that one didn't tickle. What are you checking for?"

"Nerve damage. The fracture, the swelling, they can lead to temporary or permanent nerve damage. But the good news is your nerves appear to be just fine."

"And, you," Tina said to Don, "are looking good, too. How's the head?"

"On a scale of one to ten? It's about a five."

"Any dizziness, nausea?"

"Some. Not too bad, though."

"Good." She held Don's chin and flashed a penlight in his eyes. "Pupils look good," she said smiling. "Can I get you anything? You want anything for the pain?"

"I'm good."

Jill was taking a look at Charlie's IV. "How's your pain level, Charlie?"

"Not feeling a thing," Charlie said, grinning.

"Good," turning to Alan, Jill said, "So when is the party starting, Mr. Eppes?"

"Alan. Are these two going to be able to have solids?"

"Sure. They might be a little queasy, though, so I'd take it easy on the spicy foods," Jill said.

"And," Tina added, "no alcohol, of course."

"We didn't bring any alcohol with us. I thought we'd set up the snacks and beverages around three. That's when you folks change your shifts, right?"

"We'll spread the word," Jill said as she and Tina started toward the door. "Wait. I almost forgot something," she went to Don's bedside and kissed him on the cheek. "There. I don't want to anger the goddess of love. Whatever her name is. See you folks later."


	19. Chapter 19

After the nurses left, Alan glanced at his watch. "Shall we get started? I left the things that needed to be refrigerated in the car. Thank goodness it's cold up here in the mountains."

"You stay put, Alan," Colby said. "Just give me the keys, and David and I will get the stuff."

"Thank you," Alan said, handing Colby the keys to Don's SUV.

Colby jingled the keys and grinned at Don. "Maybe we'll just take it for a joyride while we're at it."

"Don't you dare!" Don said, struggling to sit up.

"Why not?" Alan asked, pushing him back down.

Don shrugged. "No reason. I just figured that's the reaction Granger was looking for."

David laughed. "Even with scrambled brains, he's got your number, Colby."

"Okay, so no joyride, then," Colby said. "See you in a few, boss man."

Don shook his head as they left. "Kids."

Alan stood and studied the room. "How on earth are we going to fit everyone in here? It's bad enough with just the ten of us."

"Well," Maggie said, "is there a lounge?"

Larry said, "I'm certain there is, but what about Charles?"

"Good point. I'm sorry, Charlie," Maggie said.

"Don't worry about it," Charlie said. "I'll probably be asleep anyway. You guys just go ahead and do what you need to do."

"No," Alan said, "We'll make it work in here. Let's see. I'm guessing they haven't scheduled any elective surgery for this week, so they may have what we need. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked. "Dad?"

"Don't you worry, Son. You'll have your party." Without another word, Alan left the room.

Charlie leaned back and rubbed his face with both hands. "What is going on here? Has everyone gone crazy?"

Amita took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I think they're relieved that you and Don are okay."

"Okay?" Charlie sighed. "Yeah, I guess we are." He lifted his head and grinned at Don. "Aren't we, Bro?"

"Yeah, Buddy, we are."

"I wonder what big papa has in mind," Charlie said, raising the head of his bed. "Whatever it is, I don't want to miss it."

Alan returned, grinning, accompanied by Dr. Wasserman and a young girl. "Look who I found," he said.

"Mandy," Charlie said. "How are you enjoying vacation?"

Mandy laughed. "Looks like my vacation is going better than yours, Dr. Eppes. My dad told me about your accident, and I just wanted to stop by and say hi," she looked away shyly, and noticed the other occupants of the room. "Hi, Professor Fleinhardt, Dr. Ramanujan. Dr. and Mrs. Cole! Wow, it's like a reunion here."

"That it is," Charlie said. "Mandy, you've already met my dad. The walking wounded over in the next bed is my brother Don. And you've probably seen Megan Reeves hanging out with Dr. Fleinhardt."

Mandy shook hands with Megan, "Yes, I have. Nice to meet you." When she walked over to shake Don's hand, she noticed the mistletoe. "Uh... "

"Go ahead," Don said. "I wouldn't want you offending any Norse goddesses. They tell me that's what happens if you don't kiss under mistletoe. I don't buy it, but why take chances?"

Mandy blushed brightly as she gave Don a quick peck on the cheek.

"There's one over Charlie's bed, too," Don said, chuckling.

"Oh, what the heck," Mandy said, crossing the room to give Charlie a quick kiss. "What're you going to do, flunk me? File sexual harassment charges against me?"

"Mandy!" Dr. Wasserman said, shocked.

Charlie laughed. "We encourage free and open discourse with our students, Dr. Wasserman. Don't worry. Mandy is one of my best students. She's in no danger of failing."

David and Colby entered, carrying bags of food. "Hey, Dr. Wasserman," Colby said. "Looks like you did a good job on the Whiz Kid over there."

"Whiz Kid?" Mandy raised her eyebrows and giggled. "Oh, wait until we get back to school..."

Charlie buried his face in his hands. "Thanks a lot, Colby!"

"What?" Colby said, confused.

"Mandy here is one of Charlie's students, Granger," Megan said. "You have now given her the kind of information that can make Charlie's life pure hell."

Mandy shook her head. "I would never do that. Dr. Eppes is too nice."

"Looks like you're safe, Chuck," Don said, laughing.

"Alan," David said, "Where do you want us to put these bags?"

"Just set them down somewhere out of the way. I need some help bringing in some extra bedside tables."

"Tables?" Don asked skeptically. "Where you gonna put them?"

"Well, I've been given permission to use some of the wall space outside of this room. We're also going to shove the beds against the wall. Since Charlie won't be going anywhere, we'll put tables alongside his bed. We'll use Don's bed for extra seating. This will work. Come on,"

As they left, Don shrugged, "Well, okay, Dad. I guess your city planning experience is coming in handy."

Charlie laughed. "Nah. This is more along the lines of his wedding planner experience."

"Oh, man, I forgot about that," Don said. "I really think Dad's in the wrong business. He's more cut out to plan social events."

"So," Charlie said, "what's in the bags? I'm getting hungry."

Maggie peeked in one of the bags. "Cheese, crackers and Hickory Farms beef sticks here."

Megan looked in another bag. "Christmas cookies and cheesecake here." She reached into the bag and handed Charlie a cookie. "Here you go, Charlie. It'll tide you over."

"Thanks," Charlie took a bite. "Mmmm. Snickerdoodles. My favorite. Is there any eggnog in those bags?"

"Probably," Amita said rummaging through a bag. "Yes, here we go," she lifted a carton of eggnog out. "Here," she said, handing Charlie his cup. "Drink the water so I can use your cup."

Charlie drank the water and held out his cup. "Eggnog, please, ma'am."

"That's 'doctor,' not 'ma'am,' Charlie."

"Oh, sorry, Doctor," Charlie said, grinning as she filled his cup.

"Well, Charlie," Dr. Wasserman said, "I've got some other patients to see. I'll be back for your little shindig in a while. You might want to take it easy on the snacks. Sometimes the anesthesia and meds will do a number on your digestion."

"Thanks, I will."

"Do you mind if I take a quick peek at my handiwork before I go?"

"Speaking of doing a number on my digestion. You go ahead and look," he said, turning his head. "I already looked at it once, and would rather not have that experience again for a while."

Dr. Wasserman lifted the blankets carefully, so Charlie couldn't see. He nodded. "In spite of what you think, Charlie, I think it looks great."

Mandy looked over his shoulder and smiled, "Daddy, you always do such nice work. We'll see you in a little while, Dr. Eppes."


	20. Chapter 20

Charlie finished his eggnog, and leaned back, closing his eyes.

"You okay, Son?" Alan asked, touching Charlie's forehead.

"Mmhmm. Just sleepy," Charlie said without opening his eyes. "Mind if I take a nap?"

"Go right ahead," Alan said, "We'll want you wide awake for the party. Besides, I know you. You'll just complicate matters by trying to come up with an algorithm."

"That's harsh, Dad," Don said. "Quit pickin' on my baby brother."

"Right," Megan said, "Don's the only one who's allowed to do that."

Charlie shook his head and sighed. "Keep it down, will ya? The patient's trying to get some sleep, here."

When he woke up, he gazed around the room. There were four extra bedside tables alongside his bed, loaded with all sorts of goodies. "Wow, Dad. You did an amazing job. Have you ever considered going into party planning? I mean as a full time thing?"

Alan smiled. "No, Charlie, I'm enjoying my consulting business too much. This is just a hobby." He checked his watch. "Before the crowd comes, can I get you anything?"

"Nah, I'm good," Charlie said as he gazed at the display of goodies. "Though a couple of crackers with some of that – is that Stilton? -- would be good."

"You have good taste," Ben chuckled. "This is indeed a very nice Stilton."

"Would you like some beef stick, too?" Alan said.

"I don't know. That nurse said to steer clear of the spicy food." He took the paper plate Alan handed him. "Thank you."

Amita held up the carton of eggnog. "Want more eggnog, Charlie?" 

"That would be great, thanks." He glanced around the room. "Larry. You've been quiet."

Larry stood and walked over to Charlie, hands in his pockets. "I know, Charles. I'm just finding this all a bit overwhelming. I feel somewhat out of my element, I suppose."

"Hey," Charlie said, smiling. "Hospitals have that effect on everybody. Pull that table out of the way and sit with me."

Larry pulled the table aside and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. He gave Charlie a shaky smile. "I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No. You're nowhere near my bionic leg. So, other than our little mishap this morning, have you been enjoying yourself?"

"Immensely, Charles. The mountain was breathtaking, and the feeling of flying down the slope was impossible to describe."

"Good. Let's do this again next year,..."

"Oh," Larry said, shaking his head. "I don't think we should do THIS again."

Megan stepped up beside Larry and massaged his shoulders. "How about we do the trip, without the crashing and ambulances and hospital?"

"Now, that sounds wonderful," Larry said.

Alan checked his watch again. "Okay, let's get the table back where it belongs. It's three o'clock."

Larry patted Charlie on the shoulder. "Thank you, Charles."

He started to stand, but Charlie drew him into a hug. "Thank you for coming along on the trip, Larry." As Larry stood, Charlie said, "Is Don awake?"

"You bet, Buddy," Don said from across the room. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. Too bad they won't let either of us get into the alcohol."

At thirty seconds after three o'clock, Jill and Tina entered the room. "We are off duty now, and ready to party," Jill said. "Luckily, except for you two and a few other skiers, we're pretty empty here today."

"Yeah," Tina said, "who wants to be in a hospital on Christmas Eve?"

Alan led them to the buffet he had set up. "Maybe this will make it a little easier to take. You ladies help yourselves."

Jill and Tina filled paper plates with cheese, crackers, veggies and cookies and headed for the door. "We'll be back," Tina said, "We're going to cover the desk while the second shift comes to the party."

"That's sweet," Megan said. She turned and looked at the back wall of the room. "Larry," she said, smiling slyly, "did you see this?"

"What?" he said, picking up a piece of cauliflower.

"Come here," she said.

Larry shrugged and walked over to Megan's side. "What?"

Megan grinned and took two steps forward, and turned to face Larry. "Mistletoe."

"You do know, Megan, that what Tina said about angering Frigga was incorrect..."

"Shaddup and kiss me," Megan said, pulling Larry toward her.

Larry smiled and took Megan in his arms.

"Ew," Colby said, chuckling. "They're getting' mushy."

"Hey, Granger," Megan said, "isn't that what you had in mind when you put the mistletoe here?"

"I don't think so, Megan," David said. "I think he was planning on camping out under the mistletoe himself."

"If you'll remember," Colby said, "I put the mistletoe above Don and Charlie. I figured they'd benefit from a little extra TLC."

Ben took Maggie's hand, and led her toward the mistletoe. "But now that the beds are moved, we can't let the mistletoe go to waste."

"Definitely not," Maggie said. "We've got next, Megan."

Colby shook his head. "This is getting out of control."

"Is it party time?" Annie Weaver said from the doorway.

Don sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Yes, it is, Dr. Weaver. Come on in."

"I'm off duty now, Agent Eppes. You can call me Annie."

"And you can call me Don."

Annie looked around the room. "This is amazing! Who's your caterer?"

"No caterer," Charlie said, "the goodies came from the cabin where we were supposed to have been staying, and my Dad did the setup."

Annie took a broccoli floret and dragged it through the Ranch dip before popping it into her mouth. "Wonderful! Alan, you are a very talented man."

"Thank you, Annie. Try the shrimp!"

"Ooh, I will!" Annie said as she loaded a paper plate with goodies. "Say, Charlie, I know I said I was off duty, but how are you feeling?"

"Sleepy. Still no pain," He caught himself and grinned, "Not that that's a bad thing."

"Mind if I take a peek?"

"Go ahead, but don't gross out the rest of our guests, okay?"

"I won't." Annie pulled aside one of the tables and stood so her body blocked the view as she lifted the blanket. "Looks good, Charlie," she said, pulling the blanket back into place. "You make sure you let the nurses know if you have any pain at all, okay?"

"Gladly," Charlie said. "Now stop working and enjoy the party. We're short on chairs, but we're using Don's bed for seating."

Don blushed as Annie glanced in his direction. Charlie knew he was going to be in big trouble later, but he didn't care.

"I've been on my feet all day," Annie said, sitting next to Don. "How are you feeling, Don?"

"Other than a pounding headache, dizziness, and a strong desire to sleep, I'm fine."

Annie pulled a penlight out of her pocket and said, "Let me have a look," as she focused the beam into Don's eyes. "Looking good," she said with a grin. "Of course, I've always been partial to brown eyes."

Don gasped and choked on his eggnog.

"Sorry," Annie said, laughing. "I don't know why I said that. My husband says I have a wicked sense of humor."

"Husband?" Alan said, disappointed.

"Yes," Annie said. "Ex, actually. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Alan said. "Would anybody like more eggnog?"


	21. Chapter 21

"Hi." Two nurses, a young woman with a mocha complexion and a middle aged blonde, stood in the doorway. "Is this the party Jill and Tina told us about?" the young woman asked.

"Yes, it is," Alan said, "Come in and help yourselves. I'm Alan Eppes, and your two patients are Charlie and Don, my accident prone sons."

"I'm Cathy," the blonde said, shaking hands with Alan, "and this is Naomi. We'll be stopping by and taking vitals through the evening, but right now we're just here for a snack."

"Well, snack away," Alan said. "The rest of the folks will introduce themselves. I'm going to go find more guests. I don't want to take all this food back to the cabin."

Naomi laughed. "Once word gets out, you won't have to worry about getting rid of the food. This looks wonderful."

David stepped forward and pointed at a bowl. "That spread is really good. I'm David Sinclair, by the way, Don's coworker."

"Hi, David."

Colby stepped to Naomi's other side. "And you really have to try that cheese. It's great. Colby Granger, by the way."

Naomi smiled at Colby. "I really prefer cheddar."

"Hmm?" Colby said, confused.

"I'm really not a big fan of colby cheese."

Colby reddened. "No, Colby's my name. I don't know what kind of cheese that is."

Naomi clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Colby."

Colby laughed. "That's okay. It was a pretty cheesy introduction anyway."

Cathy grinned at Colby. "Don't worry about it. Naomi and I hear all sorts of cheesy introductions in this business."

Megan picked up a piece of cauliflower, dragged it through the ranch dressing and popped it into Larry's mouth. "Granger's parents really knew what they were doing when they named him."

"Hey, it's a family name," Colby protested.

"Sure it is," Megan chuckled.

"Hey," Alan said from the doorway. "I found a few more victims... uh guests." He stepped aside and an older couple pushed a young man in a wheelchair into the room. "Tommy here broke his leg at one of the other ski resorts in the area. These are his parents, Tom and Dorothea. You folks help yourselves. Whatever you don't eat, we've got to haul back to our cabin."

Alan smiled at Don and Annie. "Annie, are you enjoying yourself?"

"I sure am, Alan. This was a wonderful idea. Don was telling me about the wedding you planned."

"My boys never miss an opportunity to bring that up. I'm a city planner, in a private consulting business now, and all they talk about is my homemaking skills. Of course, Charlie lives with me..."

"Ah, Dad, I own the house, remember. You live with me."

"... and Don never misses an opportunity to show up at dinner time."

Annie laughed. "Too bad you didn't teach them your secrets."

"Hey, I'm too busy to cook," Don protested.

"Oh, sure," Annie scoffed. "Too busy. Try being an orthopedic surgeon in a ski resort area. I'm usually too busy to eat, let alone cook."

"Yeah, doctor? Well, I'll bet you make more than a lowly law enforcement officer does."

"Sure, but subtract my malpractice insurance, alimony and taxes, and divide the pittance that's left by the number of hours I work, and I'll bet you make a lot more. And besides, I wouldn't call a senior Special Agent 'lowly.'"

Don furrowed his brow, "How did you know..."

Annie shrugged. "I took the liberty of looking at your file when I pulled Charlie's file."

"Hey, isn't that a violation of privacy?" Don said, grinning.

"Simple mistake. I picked up the wrong 'Eppes.' Took me a few minutes to figure it out."

Amita stood, stretched and came to Charlie's bedside. "How are you doing, Charlie? Can I get you anything?"

Charlie smiled and shook his head. "No, thanks. I'm good. If you can get the buffet out of the way, you can come and sit with me."

"Here," Alan said, "Let's consolidate some of this." 

Naomi said, "Cathy and I should get going anyway. Is it okay if we take a plate back with us?"

"Of course," Alan said, "take a couple. You've got a long day ahead of you."

Cathy and Naomi filled their plates. When they were ready, David said, "Let me give you a hand, ladies," and took a plate in each hand. "Why don't you grab something to drink?"

"Thanks," Cathy said. "You're a sweetheart, David."

"All right," Amita said, "Let's make some room so I can sit with Charlie. He's looking lonely over here behind all the food."

Colby helped Alan clear the table. "Where's this go, Alan?" 

"Just next door," Alan said. "Thank you, Colby. And, for the record, I think your name is just fine."

Colby grinned at Megan as he wheeled the table out of the room. "Did you hear that, Reeves? Alan says my name is just fine."

"Aw, now that's not fair," Megan said. "I can't berate Alan's taste. I guess I'll just have to write it off as stress."

Charlie scooted over to make room for Amita and smiled as she sat next to him. He reached up and touched her cheek. "Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she said, leaning down to kiss him. "Must be some leftover mistletoe magic here."

Colby returned, accompanied by Jill and Tina. "Look who I found."

The party started to wind down just as the dinners were starting to arrive. When a woman wheeled a cart filled with covered dinner trays into the room, she laughed. "Well, we do good food here, but I don't think I can compete with this."

Don pulled his table over and cleared room for the tray. "I'll try it. And I won't hold you personally responsible."

The woman shook her head. "Okay, dear. Here you go." She turned to Charlie. "How about you, dear?

Amita helped Charlie clear enough room on one of the tables for his tray. As the woman put the tray on the table, Charlie said, "And, please, if you have time, help yourself to some of this stuff. My dad doesn't want to take it back to the cabin unless he absolutely has to."

"Thanks, Hon," she said, "How about I stop by on my way back downstairs?"

When she returned with her empty cart, Alan helped her load it up with goodies. "Enjoy yourself, and make sure you take enough for everyone in the kitchen. It's a shame you have to work Christmas Eve, so you might as well make it a little bit more fun."

"Oh, thank you," She said, and finally left with most of the remnants of the food.

Alan yawned and stretched. "Well, folks, I am not hungry, but I could certainly use a cup of coffee. Anyone else?"

"Sounds good to me," Megan said. "How about you, Larry?"

"It sounds wonderful. Charles, Don, you don't mind if we leave you for a while, do you?"

Charlie yawned, "Not at all. You've got to be going stir crazy in here anyway."

"That's right," Don said. "I don't know about Charlie, but I think you guys should go back to the cabin and get some rest."

"I agree. Not that we're trying to get rid of you," Charlie added. "And we've really appreciated you staying with us all day, but..."

"... but we both need some rest," Don finished for him.

"If I didn't know better," Alan said, "I'd think you rehearsed that little routine."

Charlie bit his lip. "Dad, you're more than welcome to stay if you want..."

"No, Charlie," Alan said, crossing the room to Charlie's side and ruffling his hair. "You two are doing fine, now. You both need to rest, and I think you're right about us going stir crazy. Why don't we come back first thing in the morning? We've all got our cell phones, so you can call us if you need anything – anything at all. Even if you just want to talk."

"Okay," Charlie said. "It you're sure..."

"I'm sure. Enjoy your supper, and we'll see you in the morning," Alan said.


	22. Chapter 22

Once everybody was gone, Don leaned back with a sigh and closed his eyes.

Charlie sat up and scowled, "You okay?"

"Mmhmm. My head was starting to spin with all that activity in here. I'm kind of glad it's just us now, Buddy. How's the leg?"

"Hurts a little, but it's not bad. That doctor, Annie, was really nice, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, she was. Too bad we don't live closer. Long distance relationships just don't work, especially with a job like mine where you can never make plans in advance."

"You managed to make plans for this trip," Charlie said softly.

"Yeah, but this is a rare occasion. And I hate to see what's on my plate when I get back."

"Speaking of what's on your plate," Charlie said, sitting up again and lifting the cover off of his dinner tray.

"You can't still be hungry!"

Charlie shrugged. "A little. Aren't you?"

Don started to shake his head, then stopped, closing his eyes. "Not really. I'm still feeling a little queasy."

"You want me to call the nurse? See if they can give you anything to help?"

"No, Charlie, I'm fine. Really. I think I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes."

Charlie examined the containers on the tray. There was juice, hot water and a teabag, a small salad with a packet of dressing, sliced turkey moistened with gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and a fruit salad. The aroma of the turkey made his mouth water. He put the teabag into the water to let it steep, skipped the salad and went straight for the turkey. "Hey, Don, this is really pretty good," he said, glancing over at his brother.

"Really? What is it?"

"Turkey and mashed potatoes."

Don opened his eyes and slowly raised the head of his bed. He pulled the bedside table over and opened the lid on his tray "It smells good," he said.

"Try it," Charlie said around a mouthful of potatoes. "If you don't want it, I'll take it."

"Oh, no you don't!" Don said, tasting the turkey. "This is all mine."

"It's not quite as good as Dad's, but it's really not bad," Charlie tasted the vegetables. "The veggies are a little limp, but the turkey is very good."

By the time the woman came back to pick up their trays, Don and Charlie were sipping their tea. "How was dinner, gentlemen?"

"Very good, thanks," Charlie said.

She lifted the lid off his tray and said, "After that banquet you had in here this afternoon, I'm amazed you could eat another bite. Tell your daddy that the gang in the kitchen really appreciated it, by the way."

"I will," Charlie said.

The woman put Charlie's tray on her cart and went to pick up Don's. "Let me see how you did. Not bad. Not quite as good as your brother, but that's to be expected with a head injury. Can I bring you folks anything else?"

Don smiled and started to lower the head of his bed, "I don't know about Charlie, but I'm stuffed."

"Well, goodnight," she said as she turned to go.

"Goodnight," Don murmured.

Charlie sighed and looked around the room. He missed his laptop, and he had forgotten to ask his dad to bring anything for him to do. There was a TV set near the ceiling on his side of the room, so he rummaged around on the nightstand until he found a controller. The TV roared to life, and Charlie quickly lowered the volume, murmuring an apology to his snoring brother. He quickly flipped through the available channels. The most interesting thing he could find was a hockey game. Glancing at Don to make sure the volume wasn't too loud, he turned again to the nightstand, looking for something – anything – to do.

He finally gave in and pushed the call button.

"Yes?"

"I'm – ah – I'm sorry to bother you, but could I get some paper and pencils? If it's not too much trouble..."

"It's no trouble at all, Charlie. I'll be there in a few minutes. Would you like some magazines, or a newspaper?"

"That would be great!"

"Let's see, we have the LA Times, People, Newsweek, ..."

"You don't have The American Journal of Mathematics, do you?"

The nurse chuckled. "No, Dr. Eppes, we don't get a lot of demand for it. I'll see what I can find that might be of interest to you."

"American Journal of Mathematics?" Don murmured. "What are you thinking, Chuck?"

"I'm sorry, Donnie. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"S' okay. If you're done yelling to the nurse, can I get back to sleep?"

"I'm done. And I promise to keep quiet."

"Sure. You might want to call Dad and ask him to bring your computer tomorrow. And your copy of that math journal."

"Good idea," Charlie pulled the phone over and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Dad..."

"Charlie! Is everything okay? Do you need..."

"Everything's fine, Dad. I just wanted to ask you to bring me some stuff when you come back tomorrow."

Alan sounded immensely relieved, "Sure, Charlie. Whatever you need."

"My computer, my briefcase. There's a couple of magazines in my suitcase. Uh, and my pajamas and some clean underwear. My toothbrush, toothpaste. Oh, and my hairbrush, and ..."

"Your toiletries," Alan supplied.

"Yes, my toiletries. Thanks, Dad."

"So was that it, Charlie?"

"That, and I wanted to say goodnight, and thanks for everything, Dad. I'm sorry I screwed up our vacation."

"Hey, Charlie, you're the only one who got really screwed up. The rest of us are doing just fine. In fact, we're getting ready to play poker right now."

"Well, enjoy your game. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Son. Tell Donnie I said goodnight, okay? And tell him I'll bring him a change of clothes for his trip out of there tomorrow."

"I will. Goodnight, Dad. Love you."

"Love you too."

Cathy knocked on the door and entered, carrying a legal pad, some number 2 pencils and a stack of magazines, which she put on Charlie's table. "I couldn't find any math journals, but I did find some science magazines. Maybe they'll help. Just in case, I brought Time and Newsweek too."

"That's great. Thank you!"

Cathy glanced at Don and lowered her voice. "Okay, I'll be back in a little while with your pain meds."

Charlie flipped through the magazines, spending a little while reading a few articles in the science magazines. His mind wandered as he read, until an article triggered something in his brain. He picked up the pad and a pencil and began to write. He had filled half of the pad when Cathy returned.

"Wow," she whispered. "What are you working on?"

Charlie gave her a rueful grin. "Not much, really. I was bored."

She looked over his shoulder at the pad. "Wow, I get bored, I doodle. You get bored, you ... I don't really know what it is you're doing. Can you take a break while I take your vitals?"

"Sure. It's just the mathematical equivalent of doodling, anyway."

When Cathy finished taking Charlie's vitals, she gave him his pain meds. "They're going to make you sleepy."

"That's okay," Charlie said, closing the legal pad and lowering the head of his bed. "Goodnight."

Don sat up, dizzy and disoriented, wondering why he was awake. The room was as dark and quiet as hospital rooms ever get. Maybe one of the nurses had come in and left.

He heard Charlie's voice, "No..." Charlie moaned. "No. Oh, God. Don!"

"Charlie? What's wrong? You okay, Buddy?" Don sat up and reached for the light switch.

He heard metallic clattering from Charlie's side of the room. When he finally found the light, he was shocked to see Charlie standing, swaying.

Don stood and waited for the room to stop spinning before he hurried to Charlie's side. "Buddy. Wake up. You're dreaming. Get back in bed!" He grabbed Charlie's shoulders and pushed him back onto the bed.

"I killed him."

Don sat down on the bed and took Charlie's face in his hands. "Charlie, Buddy, look at me."

Charlie's eyes opened and he gazed up at his brother. "Donnie?"

"I'm here. You were dreaming, Charlie." He looked down at Charlie's leg. "You okay?"

Charlie reached up and touched Don's cheek. "You're... you're... alive."

Don laughed. "I hope so." Suddenly he stopped laughing. "Charlie, your dream... You thought I was dead?"

Charlie nodded, unable to speak.

Don brushed Charlie's hair back from his eyes. "You feel warm. You running a fever?"

"I don't think so," Charlie murmured, blinking back tears. "Don, I am so sorry."

"Hey, I told you ... Listen to me, Charlie. It was an accident. We both came out of it none the worse for wear, okay? You can't keep beating yourself up over this. You made one stupid mistake. But next time you'll know to be more careful, to watch what's going on ahead of you, right?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Assuming I'll ever ski again."

"Of course you'll ski again. We're coming up here next Christmas, right?"

Charlie closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. "I guess. I don't think I should have gotten out of bed, though. My leg is really starting to hurt."

"Hang on. I'm calling the nurse." Don pushed the call button.

"Yes?"

"Please, Charlie got out of bed somehow."

"I'll be right there."

Don risked a glance at Charlie's leg. It didn't look any worse than it had earlier, but Charlie was clearly in pain.

The room lights suddenly blazed to life, and Naomi rushed into the room. Don grabbed Charlie's hand and stepped back out of the way. "I'll be right here, Buddy."

Naomi lifted Charlie's legs onto the bed and examined his injury. "It looks okay. Did he put any weight on it?"

"I think so. I don't know," Don said.

"Okay, I'm going to call Dr. Wasserman." She covered Charlie and said, "You stay put."

Don sat on the edge of Charlie's bed and said, "I'll make sure he does."


	23. Chapter 23

When Naomi had left, Charlie said, "I am so embarrassed. I can't believe I did such an idiotic thing."

"It was a nightmare, Charlie. You can't control nightmares."

Charlie shrugged. "The logical part of me knows that it was an accident and you're going to be fine. But somewhere deep inside, I guess I'm not convinced yet."

"Maybe when you finish your cognitive emergence stuff you can figure out where nightmares come from." Don rubbed his eyes. "Right now my cognitive functions aren't functioning all that clearly."

"Why don't you go back to bed? I'm okay. I promise I won't wake you up again."

Don stood carefully and unsteadily walked back to his bed. "Yeah, and how are you going to be able to keep that promise, Chuck? Have Naomi put a gag on you and tie you to the bed?"

"Funny," Charlie grumbled. "But I'm not into kinky like you are."

Don sat on the edge of his bed and groaned as he lay down. "I'm not into anything right now, Chuck. My head is pounding, and that supper you talked me into eating isn't sitting too well right now."

Charlie sat up. "Are you going to be okay, Don?"

"I'll be fine. I think I just moved too fast."

Naomi returned, bringing Cathy with her. "Okay, Charlie, Dr. Wasserman wants you to have another series of x-rays to make sure you didn't do any damage. I've called for an aide to take you down. How are you feeling?"

"Better. It still hurts, but it's not bad."

"That's good," she said, lifting the blanket and examining his leg again.

"Could you check Don? He said his head is pounding and he feels sick." 

"I told you I'm okay, Charlie," Don growled.

Cathy said, "Let me have a look, Don. Just to be safe."

Don submitted to her examination, but said, "I'll be fine once he's out of here and I can get some sleep."

"You don't mean that," Cathy murmured as she checked his pupils.

Don raised his eyebrows. "You can tell that just by looking?"

"Nope. I have two sons. I know how you guys work. She put her penlight away and said, "You look fine. I'm going to give you something for the pain, and something for the nausea."

"I don't..."

"Shush. It'll help you sleep, and you need rest now. We'll keep Charlie occupied for a while to give you a chance to fall asleep. You're stuck with us until tomorrow. You might as well take advantage of our full service."

Don closed his eyes and murmured. "Okay. I give up."

Don wondered what woke him up this time. Charlie was deeply, peacefully asleep. The nurses weren't in the room. His cell phone was packed away where he couldn't hear it. He rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly. He would never admit it, but he was glad the nurse had given him the meds. He was actually beginning to feel human. He glanced at his watch, squinting to try to get his eyes to focus. No luck.

He turned carefully to look out the window. The sun was out, reflecting brightly on the snow. A beautiful day for skiing. He was due to be discharged today, but he figured his chances of going skiing were slim and none. He suddenly realized he had no idea what condition his skis were in, or if anyone had bothered to retrieve them. He made a mental note to ask his dad about them.

"Hey, Bro," Charlie murmured. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"A lot better. How'd your x-rays go?"

Charlie shrugged. "It doesn't look like I did any more damage."

"That's good news. Do you have any idea what time it is? My eyes are still a little blurry."

"Seven fifteen. You know, once you reach a certain age, you need to start looking at reading glasses..."

"Shut up. My eyes were fine until some idiot slammed into me."

Charlie hesitated, then laughed. "Well, if you weren't crawling down the slope like a little old man, this never would have happened."

A nurse knocked on the door and came into the room. "You two must be the brothers I've heard so much about."

Don and Charlie exchanged glances. Don said, "It depends on what you've heard."

"Nothing bad," she said. "I'm Rachael, by the way, and I'm here to check your vitals. Don, I understand you're planning on leaving us today."

"Yes, I am. Not that it hasn't been fun..."

Rachael placed her palm against Don's forehead. "Fun, eh? Hmmm. No fever. I've heard this place called plenty of things, but 'fun' has never been one of them."

"You should have been here yesterday," Charlie said. "We had a party."

Rachael glanced at Charlie's leg. "And you were dancing, right? I'm beginning to think you both need to see someone from psych. Okay," she said, making a few notes in Don's folder. "You're looking good, Don. Let's check out the party dude. I hear you decided to go for a walk last night."

"I was dreaming," Charlie said.

"I heard. How's the leg feeling this morning?"

"Okay. It aches a little, but not bad."

"Good. You're lucky you didn't do more damage."

"I know."

"All right. Your numbers are looking good, too. I'll see you guys later."

"Rachael," Charlie said as she turned to leave.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry you have to work today. With it being Christmas and all."

She shrugged. "I'm Jewish. I'm actually covering for one of the Christian nurses so she can be home with her kids."

"That's very nice of you to do that."

Rachael smiled broadly for the first time since she had entered the room. "Thank you, Charlie. We trade off. They cover for us on our holy days and we cover for them on theirs. It actually works out pretty well."

"Hello!" Alan said as he, Megan, Larry and Amita entered the room. "Oh, I'm sorry. Should we wait outside?"

Rachael said, "Nope. I was just leaving."

"And how are my boys doing?"

"They're doing just fine, Mr. Eppes." Rachael said, "In fact, I do believe you'll be able to take one of them home with you today. You guys call me if you need anything, okay?"

After Rachael left, Alan said, "She seems nice."

Charlie laughed, "And she's Jewish, Don."

"Shut up, Chuck."

"Oh, I forgot. You've got your sites set on Dr. Annie."

"Charlie," Amita said, sitting on his bed, "stop picking on your brother."

"Yeah," Don said, "It's bad enough you woke me up..."

"Woke you up?" Alan asked. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Charlie said, giving Don a warning glare.

"Right," Don said. "He turned the TV on really loud while I was still sleeping."

"I thought you were awake," Charlie said. "Sorry." He turned to Alan. "I apologized when I realized my mistake. He just isn't going to let it drop."

Alan looked at his sons through narrowed eyes. "All right. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the x-rays in the middle of the night, Charlie."

"How'd you know about that?" Charlie demanded.

"I ran into Dr. Wasserman on the way in. He told me there was nothing to worry about. You hadn't done anything more to your leg when you got out of bed last night."

"Whatever happened to patient/doctor confidentiality?" Charlie complained.

Amita gave Charlie a gentle poke. "I think it was trumped by fatherly concern. Remember, Dr. Wasserman is a father, too. So, what happened last night, Charlie?"

Charlie sighed. "I had a nightmare. Apparently, I climbed out of bed to check and make sure Don was okay."

"Oh," Amita said, touching his cheek gently. "Are you okay now?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I am. Hey, where's the rest of the gang?"

Alan said, "Ben and Maggie wanted to go to church, and David and Colby decided to tag along."

"Yeah," Megan said, "I warned Granger, but he decided to risk the lightning bolts."

"Oh," Alan said, "and we brought you a few things, Charlie." He put Charlie's briefcase on the night stand and handed him his laptop. Larry put a small suitcase on the bed.

"Everything you asked for," Larry said. "Plus I brought the draft of my new article for you to look over."

"Thank you! I was so bored last night!" Charlie picked up the legal pad full of his scribblings. "I was reduced to this!"

Larry shook his head. "What is it?"

"I read an article about Pluto being demoted from planet, and decided to calculate how many Plutos would fit in each of the other planets."

"Poor Charlie," Amita said, "you weren't kidding when you said you were bored!"


	24. Chapter 24

As Don and Charlie were finishing their breakfast, a doctor came in to see Don. "Hi," he said, "I'm Dr. Feingold. I understand you're planning on leaving us today."

Don glanced at Charlie, "That's the plan," he said.

Charlie nodded, smiling. "He says I snore."

"You do," Don said. "Loudly. I'm surprised you weren't busted for breaking the noise ordinance last night." Turning back to the doctor, he said, "Sorry. Brothers."

"That's fine. You sound just like my big brother. Anyway, I see you did fine last night. How are you feeling today?"

"A lot better. My head still hurts and I'm dizzy." Turning to Charlie, he said, "No comment from you."

Dr. Feingold snickered. "Okay, that's to be expected for a few days. I suggest you stay out of work for the rest of this week. I see you're an FBI agent. You may need to get checked before you go back into the field, especially if your vision is affected. Let me have a look at those stitches." He slipped on a pair of latex gloves and gently pushed Don's hair aside. "Okay, they look good. Keep the area dry, and have your own doctor check them when you get back home. You can take acetaminophen for the pain. Do you need anything for the nausea?"

"No. I think I can handle it."

"Okay." Dr. Feingold took off the gloves and tossed them into the wastebasket. "I'll have Rachael give you a whole ream of papers that will explain the whole thing to you in excruciating detail. She'll process your discharge, take you for a visit to the business office, and then you're free to go."

"All right," Don said, grinning. "I suppose skiing is out of the question..."

Dr. Feingold looked over his glasses at Don. "You're kidding, right? I'm afraid you'll have trouble walking on level ground for a few days yet, let alone sliding down a snowy hill."

"Busted," Charlie chuckled.

"Uh, Charlie," Don said, nodding at Charlie's leg. "I think you're the one who's busted."

Dr. Feingold grinned at Alan, "I assume you are the father of these squabbling siblings."

"Yes, heaven help me, I am."

"You have my sympathy," Dr. Feingold said as he left.

"Charlie," Don said softly. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't I?" Charlie said, then he realized what Don was talking about and added, "I'll be fine, Don. Last night was an anomaly."

"I can stay here tonight if you want."

Charlie laughed. "I wouldn't want my snoring to keep you awake. I'll be fine."

They were interrupted by a gentle tapping on the door. A young woman glanced at the folder she was carrying. "Charles Eppes?" she said.

"I'm Charlie Eppes," Charlie said.

"Hi, Charlie. I'm Melissa. I'll be your physical therapist while you're here."

"Physical therapy? Already?" Alan asked. "He just broke his leg yesterday. How can you expect him..."

"Don't worry, Sir. My primary task is to get Charlie mobile enough that we can send him home. Um, I'm going to be getting you out of bed, Charlie. Do you have any pajamas you can change into? The gown is okay while you're in bed, but when you're up and around, it's a little..."

"Indecent?" Charlie supplied.

Melissa laughed. "A perfect description."

Larry moved the suitcase to where Charlie could reach it. He opened it and said, "Well, let's see what goodies they packed for me." He pulled out a pair of baggy sweats and a tee shirt. "Will this do?"

Melissa held up the sweats and nodded. "I think they'll work okay. I'll pull the curtain here, to give you a little privacy, and then, if you don't mind, I'll help you with these. You'll find your every day tasks will have changed quite a bit. You won't be able to put any weight on your broken leg, and you'll have to be careful how you move it."

Amita, Alan, Larry and Megan moved over to Don's side of the room as Melissa pulled the curtain around Charlie's bed. She handed Charlie the sweats. "Okay, I'm going to lift your leg, and I want you to slip the pantleg over it. Okay, good. Now do your other leg. Great. Now using only your hands and your right leg to brace yourself, I want you to lift your butt off the bed. Good. Now, can you pull your pants up? Great. Butt back down. Now, using your hands, push yourself into a sitting postion and take the gown off. All right. Put your shirt on, and you're all set."

She pulled the curtain aside, and Charlie was greeted with a round of applause. He bowed, grinning. "For my next trick.."

"You'll learn how to use a walker," Melissa said. "I'll be right back with it." She went into the hallway and returned with a walker and an armload of equipment. "Before we get you walking, I want to have a look at your left foot."

"Do you need to cut the pant leg?" Charlie asked. "These sweats are old, so I don't mind..."

"They're loose enough they should be okay, and the fixator will keep the fabric from irritating your cut." She rolled the pant leg up so she could check the fixator, then she touched Charlie's toes. "They're nice and warm. That's a good sign. Close your eyes. Which toe am I touching?"

"The middle."

"Now?"

"The pinky."

"Great. Now I have some slipper socks for you to wear. They'll keep your toes warm, and give you good traction. We don't want you falling. I also want you to put this belt around your waist." She handed Charlie a wide belt made of red cotton webbing. "Keep it good and loose, but not so loose that it'll fall off. This is a gait belt. It'll give me something to grab onto if you start to have trouble."

Charlie pulled the socks on, and then wrapped the belt around his waist, adjusting it until Melissa was satisfied. She lowered the bed as far down as it would go.

"Okay, now for your big moment." She had him slide his broken leg to the edge of the bed, and then helped him use his hands and good leg to scoot himself around until he was sitting with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. "Great. Now, I'll help you hold your broken leg out straight. I want you to put your good foot on the floor, and use your hands and good foot to push yourself up to a standing position. Lean forward, and as soon as you're up, grab the walker with both hands. That's great! I'm going to let go of your leg, but keep it in front of you and don't let it touch the floor or the walker. Okay, good. Now you're going to move the walker ahead of you a bit. Now, hop forward. Relax that death grip on the walker a little. Great! Now try another step."

Charlie hopped, grimacing as he jarred his broken leg. "That hurts," he murmured.

"Practice a little more. You'll get the hang of it."

His next few hops were smoother. "All right," he said, grinning. "I think I've got it."

"Feel up to a trip to the bathroom?"

"Definitely. The bedpan was a pain to use."

Melissa laughed. "This should be easier in some ways and harder in others. You're going to have to think before you move. The object is to not put any weight on that broken leg. All right, hop on over to the bathroom."

Charlie was panting by the time he reached the bathroom. He let Melissa guide him as he pulled down his sweats and sat on the toilet. Blushing, he said, "I hope I can manage this by myself soon. I feel like I'm being potty trained all over again."

"You're doing great. Why don't I give you a little privacy, and you try getting back up and get your pants back on by yourself. I'll turn my back, but I'll be here if you need any help. Don't be embarrassed. I've pretty much seen it all."

"I know, but you haven't seen it on me," Charlie muttered.

Melissa chuckled as she turned her back. She bit her lip as she listened to Charlie cursing and banging the walker around. "How's it going?"

"I've got it," Charlie grumbled. "Ouch!"

Don said, "Hey, Buddy. You're a genius. I'd have thought you'd be able to go potty by yourself."

"Shaddap." Charlie replied. "Actually, I've been thinking the same thing myself. This is a lot harder than it looks." He flushed the toilet, hopped over to the sink and washed his hands. "Okay, Melissa, I'm ready for the return trip."

"Are your hands good and dry? You don't want them to slip on the walker."

Charlie wiped each hand on his pants, balancing carefully. "There."

With Melissa hovering behind him, Charlie hopped back to bed. Melissa grabbed the red belt and guided him through the procedure of sitting and scooting back into bed. Lying back on his pillows, Charlie sighed deeply. "I'm wiped out."

"You did a good job, Charlie. I'm going to put the walker where you can reach it easily. And that's it for your lessons for this morning. I'll stop back this afternoon and see how you're doing. Do you have any questions?"

"I can't think of any. Other than how long do I have to do this?"

"That depends on your doctor, and how well you're healing. But generally, patients use the walker for a few weeks. You might want to graduate to crutches, but the walker is a lot more stable, especially up here in the snow." She picked up the folder and thumbed through it. "What do you do for a living?" 

"I'm a professor at Cal Sci. So snow won't be a problem."

"Knowing most campuses, there's a lot of walking. You might want to use a wheelchair. Is the campus wheelchair accessible?"

"I believe so. I've never had to pay attention to such things."

Melissa smiled, "Well, you will now. I'll get you information on wheelchairs. Most insurances will pick up at least part of the cost."

Charlie nodded. "I never realized breaking a leg was such a big deal."

"Most people don't until it happens to them. Listen, feel free to practice using your walker, but you might want to have someone nearby to catch you until you get used to it, okay?"

"Okay. I don't want to fall and break anything else. Though I wouldn't have to go far for treatment."

After Melissa had left, Amita pulled a chair over so she could sit next to Charlie. She ran her fingers through his hair, pushing it back away from his face. "Why don't you get some rest?"

"Good idea," he murmured. "Sorry I'm such lousy company."

"Charles, you need your rest so you can recuperate fully," Larry said. "We can keep ourselves entertained quietly."

"You guys don't have to stay here, you know," Charlie said. "I'll be fine."

"We may take Don back to the cabin after he's discharged," Alan said. "If you're sure you'll be okay by yourself."

"I'll be fine. Really," Charlie said, sitting up. "Listen, you don't have to hang around, Dad. I am a grown man. I appreciate all you're doing for me, but I can take care of myself."

Alan sat down on Charlie's bed. "I know you can, Son. But I am still your father, and I will be until the day I die. It tears me apart to see the two of you hurting, and I want – no, I need – to do anything I can to help you." He glanced at Don. "Both of you."

"I'm sorry," Charlie whispered.

"Good," Alan said. "Now I don't want any more attitude out of you."

A smile crept across Charlie's face. "All right. No more attitude. I just don't want you guys to waste your vacations sitting around watching me sleep. I like having you here, but I want you to have fun, too. That's why I planned this trip. So would you just humor me and take some time for yourselves?"

Alan smiled and ruffled Charlie's hair. "We can do that. We'll take Donnie back to the cabin, have a few beers, play some more poker, and come back and check on you later." He gave Don a stern look. "Of course there will be no beer for you. Amita, did you want to stay or come with us?"

"If it's okay with Charlie, I think I'll stay."

Charlie took Amita's hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's up to you. I'm afraid I won't be much fun."

She shrugged. "I brought my computer this time. I'll be fine."


	25. Chapter 25

As Charlie dozed, Don pulled the curtain so he could change into his clothes in privacy. When he opened the curtain, he pushed the bedside table out of the way and sat on the edge of his bed to put his shoes on.

"Gee, Don," Megan said, "you look anxious to get out of here."

"How can you tell? I'm a little disappointed I won't be able to go skiing, but I can handle a couple of days kicking back and relaxing in that amazing cabin Charlie rented for us."

Rachael knocked on the door and entered, smiling. "Well, Don, are you ready to get out of here?"

"Definitely," Don said, tying his shoe.

"Great. Just a ton and a half of paperwork and you'll be all set." She sat next to him and took him through the discharge instructions. When they were finished, she stood. "I've called for a wheelchair for you. The volunteer will take you to the business office to make sure they have all your insurance information, and then you'll be out of here."

"Thanks, Rachael," Don said. "I'd say it's been fun, but .."

Rachael laughed, "You don't have to explain to me. I think we're second only to dentists in the poll of least popular places to visit. I hope you folks enjoy the rest of your vacation."

Don had packed his belongings, and the volunteer still hadn't arrived with the wheelchair. He stood and walked over to Charlie's bed. "Hey, Chuck," he said, gently shaking Charlie's shoulder.

"Hmmm? Wha?" Charlie rubbed his eyes and stared groggily at Don. "What's up, Don?"

"They're kicking me out, Buddy."

Charlie grinned and sat up. "That's great!"

"Sorry to wake you up, but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."

"Thanks. You're feeling okay, then?"

"Yeah. Not great, but apparently good enough." Don paused, looking closely at Charlie. "You're okay with this?"

"Yeah. A little jealous, but I'm okay with it."

"Listen, how long do we have the cabin for? Today's Monday, and they said you'd be here four, maybe five days. So we're talking Thursday or Friday."

"I have the cabin through tomorrow night. But I can call the rental agent and see if it's available for another couple of days."

"Do you have the number?"

"Sure." He picked up the phone on his nightstand and dialed. "It's a recording. They're closed for Christmas. I'll call tomorrow. If I can't get the cabin, I'll get you reservations someplace else."

"Okay," Don said. "We'll figure out who's staying and who's going back to LA." He shot a mischievous glance at Megan, "Of course, my team will have to be back at work Wednesday, so that leaves six of us at the most. I don't know what the Cal Sci contingent has planned. You guys have a couple more weeks off, right?"

"Yes, we do," Larry said, smiling. "One of the many benefits of working in academia. Of course, I imagine Charles will have an even longer vacation than the rest of us."

"Oh, Larry," Amita said, "I don't think it's fair to call it a vacation."

The volunteer, an elderly man wearing a pink jacket, arrived with the wheelchair for Don. "Don Eppes? Sorry I'm late. There aren't many of us working today, and for some reason everybody wants to get out of here."

"That's okay," Don said, picking up the plastic bag holding his belongings. He turned to Charlie. "See you later, Buddy. Call me if you need anything. Even if you just want to talk, okay?"

"I will. You take it easy, and get some rest, okay, Don?"

"You bet. I am going to be living in the lap of luxury from here on in. Relaxing in front of the fire, being waited on hand and foot..."

"In your dreams," Alan chuckled. "Okay, Charlie, Amita, I'll stop by later." He bent to give Charlie a hug. "You did a great job with the walker."

"Charles," Larry said, "if you don't have a chance to read my draft, that's fine, but I would appreciate your input."

"I'll read it. Though I'm sure it's perfect as it is."

"Oh, I doubt that."

Megan gave Charlie a hug. "See you later, Charlie."

The volunteer pushed Don's wheelchair to the nurse's station. Rachael smiled and said, "Take care, Don. I hope the rest of your vacation goes better."

"Thanks, Rachael. Don't let my little brother run you ragged, okay? He can be rather demanding."

"Don't worry. I have a lot of patients to deal with today. He'll just have to learn to wait his turn."

"That's the attitude!" Don laughed.

In the business office, Don handed over his insurance card and signed a stack of forms. Once the clerk was certain the hospital would be paid, the volunteer wheeled Don to the entrance and waited with him while Alan went to retrieve the SUV.

Megan carried Don's bag, and unobtrusively kept her hand on his elbow while he walked unsteadily to the car. "Thanks," he murmured as she helped him up into the passenger's seat.

He buckled his seatbelt and lowered the visor against the brilliant sunlight. "Are my sunglasses in here?"

"Here you go," Alan said, retrieving the glasses from the dashboard. "It's a little bright today."

"Yes, it is," Don said, grimacing as they turned, driving into the sun. He leaned his head back against the headrest and sighed. "It's a beautiful day for skiing."

"That it is. Too bad you can't take advantage of it," Alan said sternly.

"If you guys want to go, I'll hold down the fort at the cabin."

"I think I've had enough skiing to last me a long time," Alan said. "But I'm sure Colby would like to go again."

"Hey, Dad, do you have any idea what happened to my skis? And Charlie's?"

"The rescue team brought what they could find. We carried them back to the cabin, but I haven't sorted everything out yet. It didn't look like there was any serious damage."

"That's good. I don't know about Charlie but I wouldn't want to have to replace my skis. They were pretty expensive."

"Well, you can have a look at them when we get back. Do you think Charlie will be okay?"

"He'll be fine."

"Any idea what his nightmare was about?"

Don sighed. He knew Charlie wouldn't want him telling, but he felt that Alan had a right to know what was going on. After all, he lived with Charlie, and he was going to have to deal with him on a daily basis. "Yeah. He dreamed that I was killed in the skiing accident. I woke up when he started yelling, then I noticed he was standing beside his bed, trying to walk over and check on me, I guess. Luckily I got him back into bed before he did any damage."

"That must have been terrible, Donnie."

"It was. He was really upset at first. But once he realized I was okay, he calmed right down."

"That's good. No wonder you were worried about him staying alone."

"Don't let on to him that you know about it, okay, Dad? I think he was pretty embarrassed."

Megan leaned forward. "I couldn't help but overhear, Don. That's a fairly common reaction to something like this. I knew Charlie felt guilty about the accident, but he was suppressing it. Did you discuss the accident with him?"

"Yeah. He kept saying it was his fault. So I finally agreed with him."

"What?" Alan said. "You did what?"

"It's okay," Megan said. "You have to validate his feelings. And he was responsible. What else did you tell him, Don?"

"I told him he was wrong to ski without paying attention, and that now he knows better. He agreed, and I think he'll pay closer attention next time. I think that helped him, Dad. I know it sounded harsh, but I couldn't lie to him, could I?"

"You know he still craves your approval."

"Not as much as he used to, Dad," Don said softly. "He's growing up. I've noticed in the past couple of years that he's really handling things a lot better. He's more secure. He walks into my office like he owns the place. And you should see him shut down anyone who dismisses his theories. Even me."

"It's true, Alan," Megan said, "You should have seen him with a couple of idiotic NSA agents a while back. He was tired of arguing with them, and just walked out. Of course, he needed Don's support. And Don was there for him, like he always is. You know, Alan, you should be proud of both of your sons. It's amazing the way they work together now. They're really understanding each other, and appreciating what the other one does."

"Even though I still don't understand him when he goes off on one of his mathematical things," Don said, leaning back.

Alan chuckled. "I think Larry, Amita and Millie are the only ones who understand his mathematical things." Alan reached over and rested his hand on Don's. "How are you doing these days, Son? It always seems to be about Charlie, doesn't it?"

Don shrugged. "Well, he is special. And we all love him."

"But..." Alan said.

"But nothing," Don said. "It's a lot easier to handle his issues than mine, Dad. I don't want you to know the stuff I have to deal with. It's bad enough that Charlie has to get involved in some of my cases. I mean, I appreciate his help and all. But that's a side of the world I don't want you or Charlie to be... to be tainted by. You know what I mean? It's ugly. It's cruel. You don't need to see it." He sighed. "It's bad enough that I have to deal with it."

"I can see the effect it's having on you. What can I do to help?"

Don smiled. "Just be you. Be that safe place I can go when it all gets to be too much. Do just what you're doing – letting me talk when I need to but not pushing me to talk when I can't."

"And make brisket on Fridays and have plenty of cold beer in the fridge," Alan said.

"Yeah," Don said, squeezing Alan's hand. "Just be you."


	26. Chapter 26

"Do you need to stop and pick anything up?" Alan asked as they drove through a small business district.

"No," Don said. "I'm good. How far is it to the cabin from here? I wasn't really paying attention yesterday."

"It's about another half hour. Why don't you recline your seat and rest? It's clear behind you."

"Sounds good," Don said, reclining his seat. He glanced back and caught Megan's eye. "Hey, Reeves, sorry we've been ignoring you guys. Have you kept yourselves entertained back there?"

"Oh, yeah, Don," Megan said. "Larry has been explaining string theory to me."

"Really?"

"No," Megan said, laughing. "That concussion must have done a real number on you. We've just been enjoying the scenery."

"I have been boring Megan with an explanation of why shadows in the snow appear blue."

Megan gave Larry a kiss on the cheek. "Nothing you say ever bores me, Larry. I don't always understand everything, but I am never EVER bored."

The SUV swayed a little as they reached the crest of a hill. "Dad," Don said, starting to sit up. "It's pretty windy up here, and this thing doesn't handle very well in the wind."

"I've got it under control," Alan said. "You just rest."

Charlie patted the bed and smiled at Amita. "Come here," he said. "Sit with me for a while?"

Amita smiled and sat next to Charlie. "Gladly," she said, running her fingers through his hair.

"You might not want to do that. I'm kind of slimy."

"I could wash your hair for you."

"How?"

"A basin and lots of warm water. I'll ask Rachael when she comes back. It would make you feel better."

"True. I could use a sponge bath, too," Charlie said, grinning slyly.

"You'll have to rely on the nursing staff for that, pal."

"Oh, darn," Charlie said. His eyes were growing heavy again and he reached up and rubbed them.

"Why don't you get some sleep?"

"I feel like that's all I've been doing."

"Your body needs the rest to heal. Don't worry about keeping me entertained." She brushed his face gently. "Oh, bristly. I'm going to have to give you a shave, too."

"That I can do myself," Charlie said, yawning.

A few minutes later, he was snoring gently. Amita stood, and bent to kiss Charlie on the forehead. He smiled, sighed, and went back to snoring. She walked quietly to her chair. She turned on her computer, wondering if a hospital in a ritzy resort area might possibly have wi-fi. Surprisingly, they did. Millie had emailed her, asking how Charlie was doing. Larry must have let her know Charlie was hurt. She replied, explaining that Charlie would probably be out of work for a couple of weeks, and when he came back, he would most likely be using a wheelchair. She asked Millie to let her know if Charlie would be able to get where he needed to go.

Then she decided to learn everything she could about Charlie's injury and the care he would need when they finally got him home. The internet contained an amazing amount of information, and most of it looked encouraging. She did find one website that seemed to be devoted to people with fib/tib fractures who were having a terrible time with their recuperation. Charlie was such an internet freak, she knew he would find this site before long. Hopefully, he wouldn't find it before he found the other sites. She decided to email him the addresses of the other websites she had found, hoping that he would follow her links before he started Googling.

She had just hit "send" when she heard some activity in the hallway. She looked up in time to see Ben, Maggie, David and Colby entering the room. She put her index finger to her lips in the international "shush" signal and nodded at the sleeping Charlie.

"How's he doing?" Maggie whispered.

"Great," Amita whispered. "The physical therapist was here this morning and had him using a walker."

"Wow. That's amazing. He looks tuckered out," David whispered. "Hey, did they release Don?"

"Yes, they did," Amita said. "The others took him back to the cabin, where he's planning on living a life of luxury, being waited on hand and foot."

David nodded. "Yeah, I can see Alan doing that." He held up a bag. "Would you like a bagel? We found a Jewish deli that was open."

"Oh, that would be wonderful," Amita said. She put her computer down and reached into the bag. She tried to be quiet, but the bag rustled, and Charlie stirred.

He opened his eyes and yawned. "Hey, hi everyone."

"I was trying to be quiet," Amita said. "I'm sorry."

"'s okay. Is that a bagel?" Charlie said, raising the head of his bed.

Colby laughed, "It's a whole bag full of bagels, Charlie, plus an assortment of cream cheeses."

"All right! It's been a long time since breakfast."

Amita handed Charlie the bag and he picked out an 'everything' bagel. Colby handed him a bag full of cream cheese containers, and he finally settled on plain. "I don't want to overwhelm the flavor of the bagel," he explained. As he was spreading cheese on his bagel, he said, "How was church?"

"Wonderful," Ben said. "Even though we were strangers, they really made us feel welcome, didn't they?"

"They really did," Colby said, helping himself to a bagel. "When I was a kid, we went to church every Sunday, but it's been a while since I've gone. It was nice."

"So," David said, "you're not even a Christmas and Easter Christian?"

"Nope," Colby said. "I guess I'm becoming a heathen in my old age."

Charlie chuckled. "My mom wanted to have a Christmas tree every year. But at least she didn't make us go to church. And we always got candy for Easter."

"So," Colby said, "you had the best of both worlds, huh?"

"Yes we did. It was a little confusing when we were kids, but we figured it all out eventually."

"Hey, Charlie," Amita said, "want to pass me the cream cheese?"

"Gladly. Hey, did you guys notice my roommate is gone?"

"Yes," Maggie said, "we did. I hear your dad is going to be waiting on him hand and foot."

"Dad'll be in his glory," Charlie said, shaking his head. "He'll probably drive Don crazy by supper time."

"Wait 'til you're released," Ben said. "Poor Alan will run himself ragged."

"And he'll love every minute of it," David said. "Charlie, I remember how your dad pampered me after I got shot. I can't imagine what he's like when he has to take care of his own baby."

"Let's just say he is a Jewish mother and Jewish father rolled into one," Charlie said, finishing the last bite of his bagel. "That was really good."

"Want another?" Colby said.

"Nah. I'd better not. They'll be expecting me to eat lunch soon."

"Ah, lunch," Ben said, "Too bad we didn't pick up a few sandwiches while we were at the deli."

"I'll make a sandwich run later," David said. "While Charlie's eating his hospital food, we can be eating good stuff."

"Aw, no fair!" Charlie said. "Maybe I can get a special dispensation from the nutritionist to have a reuben."

"Sure, Charlie," Maggie said, laughing. "Just give 'em your best sad puppy dog eyes and see if it works. If you talk them into it, I'll buy."

Alan glanced in the rearview mirror. Larry and Megan were talking quietly. Too quietly for him to hear. He smiled to himself. They were such an improbable couple, but for some reason, it seemed to work.

He glanced at Don, snoring quietly next to him. They were almost at the cabin. He should probably wake him up, but he looked so peaceful. As the SUV came to the top of the hill, the wind slammed into the passenger's side, yanking the steering wheel from Alan's hand. The SUV veered into the oncoming lane before Alan could grab the wheel again.

"Oh, God," he muttered.


	27. Chapter 27

Don was jarred from his sleep when his head hit the side window. He heard his dad's voice murmuring, "Oh, God," and opened his eyes.

"Dad? What's ..." He looked through the windshield and realized they were in the wrong lane. He lunged for the wheel.

"Don't!" Alan shouted, slowly turning the wheel to the right. "I've got it!" The SUV fishtailed as Alan pressed on the brakes. The ABS system kicked in, and they could feel the car slowing as the brakes pulsed. It seemed to take forever, but the car gradually moved into the right lane.

Don didn't realize he had been holding his breath until they were safe. Then he released his breath in a loud gust. "That was close," he said. "You okay, Dad?"

"Yeah," Alan said, loosening his grip on the wheel. "Now I see why you warned me about the wind." He risked a glance to his side, "Are you all right, Don? I thought I heard your head hitting something."

"It was the window, and, yeah, I think I'm okay." He turned to look at Larry and Megan. "You two okay?"

Larry nodded, his face white. "Physically, yes."

Megan chuckled nervously. "Nice recovery, Alan. You drive these behemoths much?"

"I could count the times on one hand," Alan said. "But the principles are the same, no matter what vehicle you're driving. No sudden moves," he glanced at Don, "which is why I didn't want you to grab the wheel away from me. Those ABS brakes take some getting used to, though. When you've been driving as long as I have, pumping the brakes is second nature."

"Well, you did a great job." Don grimaced and rubbed his head. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost. Just one more hill. And I promise to keep a tight grip on the wheel this time. You sure you're okay?"

"Sure. I've just got a bump on the right side to go along with the one on the left, that's all."

"Don," Megan said, "just let us know if you start to feel bad, okay? You're still getting over your concussion."

"I know. I will. Hey, I wonder if Charlie's gone for another walk to the potty yet."

Alan chuckled. "It's got to be more comfortable than using that bedpan."

It was a great relief when Alan pulled the SUV into the driveway of the cabin. His hands were shaking as he opened his door. He turned to see how Don was doing, and noticed his son was swaying a little. "Donnie? You okay?"

"Yeah," Don said as Megan stepped up beside him and took his elbow. "Just a little dizzy." He noticed Alan's expression. "No worse than I was when I got into the car, Dad."

Alan shook his head and went ahead to unlock the door. "Don, I want you to sit down as soon as we get inside."

"Okay," Don said. "But I'm fine. Really." But his face was pale, and when he did finally reach a chair next to the fireplace, he sat heavily.

He took off his gloves and coat and bent to take off his shoes.

"Here," Larry said, kneeling in front him him. "Let me get those."

"Larry, you don't..."

"What did your head feel like when you bent down?" Larry asked.

"It kind of pounded," Don admitted.

"And that is a sign you're doing something you shouldn't be doing. Let me do you this one small favor, all right, Don?"

"All right," Don said, leaning back and closing his eyes. "Thanks."

Charlie had scooted himself to the edge of the bed, and was preparing to pull the walker into position. Suddenly, he glanced at the phone. "I'm going to call Don first."

"Why?" Amita asked.

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel like I should call him."

Colby grinned. "Professor, are you having a hunch?"

"It's not a hunch. I... I just don't want him calling while I'm tangled up with the walker." He picked up the phone and dialed.

"Eppes."

"Hey, Don. How's it going?"

"Okay. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to see if you made it back to the cabin yet. That's all."

"Of course we did. Why wouldn't we?"

"Uh... I don't know. Did I call at a bad time? I can call back later..."

Don hesitated. "No. It's okay, Buddy. How are you doing?"

"Good. Good. I'm just getting ready to go for another walk. Don, is everything okay? You sound... I don't know..."

"Everything's fine. Really." Don sighed. "Listen, we had a little scare coming back here. The wind caught the SUV and Dad lost control for a second, and that kind of freaked us out a little. But nobody was hurt. We didn't even go off the road. That's all that happened, Buddy. Really."

"Wow," Charlie whispered. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes. You want me to put Dad on? He'll tell you. Or Larry? Or Megan? We're fine, Charlie. Will you just drop it?"

"Okay. Okay. Sorry. I'll let you go." He hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked.

"Everybody's okay, but Dad lost control of the SUV on the way back to the cabin. Don said they didn't even go off the road, but they were a little freaked out."

"And let me guess," David said, "Don was not happy that you were calling to check on them."

"That's putting it mildly," Charlie said. The phone rang and Charlie picked up. "Hello?"

"Charlie," Don said "I'm sorry I was such an ..." 

"Hey, don't worry about it, Bro."

"Did you have a feeling something was wrong?"

Charlie hesitated, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know, Don. I just.." he glanced at Colby who was grinning. "I just had a feeling I should call you. That's all."

"A feeling." Don said. Charlie could hear the smile in his brother's voice. "Listen, I won't give you any grief about your feeling, Charlie."

"I appreciate that."

"Thanks for checking up on us, Buddy. Listen, I know Dad was planning on going back there today, but I would really feel better if he didn't."

"I concur. Tell him you need him to stay and take care of you."

Don laughed. "Yeah, right, he'd pass out if I said that."

"True. I don't want him driving again today. I know he regained control and all, and no damage was done, but if I knew he was heading here, I'd be a nervous wreck. Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No. If he won't listen to me, what makes you think he'll listen to you?"

"Good point. Just do what you can to talk him out of coming back, okay? Maggie and the guys are here now. I'm sure they'd be willing to bring Amita when they go back there."

"Okay. Good. I'll tell Dad that. Don't worry, Buddy. I'll talk him out of driving again today."

"You do that," Charlie said. "Tell him it'll hinder our recovery if we have to worry about him."

"Huh. You really are a genius. Listen, Buddy, tell the gang I said hi. I think I'm going to lie down for a bit. I've got a headache."

"Okay, Don. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will. You too. And enjoy your walk."

"Thanks."

After he had finished the call, Charlie pulled the walker over. He gave Amita wry grin. "Time for a potty stop."

"Oh, Charlie, I don't think we need to know the details," Amita said.


	28. Chapter 28

The newcomers watched the process, fascinated. "Wow," Colby said, "I never thought you'd be walking this soon."

Charlie chuckled as he hopped. "It's not exactly walking, Colby."

Ben stood and opened the bathroom door for Charlie. "Well, whatever you call it," he said, "you're doing an excellent job at it."

"Thanks." Charlie hopped through the door and turned to close it behind him.

Amita stood in front of the door. "I'll be right here if you need me, Charlie."

He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss. "I always need you. But now I need a bit of privacy. I don't want you seeing what a klutz I really am." He pushed the door shut.

"Ahh," Maggie said. "Young love."

"Young love? I thought little old men used walkers," David said, shaking his head.

A muffled voice came from the bathroom. "I heard that, David."

David laughed. "Sorry, Charlie."

"Don't worry about it," Charlie said. "Now would you five talk among yourselves? If I wanted an audience, I would have left the door open."

Maggie said, "Well, what are we going to talk about?"

Ben shrugged. "There's nothing harder than trying to find a topic of discussion on command."

Colby said, "Too bad Larry's not here. He can talk about anything, any time, anywhere."

"That's true," Amita said. "His mind holds more obscure facts than any person I've ever met."

"Oh, man," David said. "And he did not hesitate to share those facts. I think it's an occupational hazard with professors."

"Watch it, David," Colby said. "The professors have us outnumbered right now."

"Good point," David grinned at Ben and Maggie. "No offense meant."

"None taken," Maggie said. "We wouldn't get into this business if we didn't like sharing facts with captive audiences."

"Yes," Ben added, "But there are some people, like Larry, who have turned it into an art."

A clattering of what sounded like a plastic cup hitting the floor was followed by a string of curses clearly audible through the bathroom door.

"Charlie!" Amita said, turning the doorknob. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Charlie said, his voice conveying extreme frustration. "I don't have enough hands. Stay there. I'm okay. I just tried to do too many things at once."

"Okay," Amita said. "I'm staying right here."

A moment later, the bathroom door opened, and Charlie slid the walker through. After he hopped, he lifted his right hand from the walker and tugged at a wet spot on his tee shirt. "I tried to get a drink and take a step forward at the same time. Amita, would you mind picking up the cup? I don't think I'm up to the challenge right now."

"I'll get it after you're safe and sound in bed, Charlie."

"Good idea," Charlie gripped the walker and hopped slowly to bed, with Amita hovering beside him. David stood and picked up the cup.

After Charlie was settled in bed, Amita tucked the covers around him. "There. Can I get you anything?"

Charlie closed his eyes and shook his head. "One day of this and I'm sick and tired of it already. How am I going to survive several weeks?"

"You'll get better at it with practice," Colby said.

"If I don't kill myself first." Charlie opened his eyes and grinned. "It's not really that bad. I'm just feeling sorry for myself."

"Perfectly understandable," Ben said.

"And fortunately," Colby said, "there are enough of us that we can take turns listening to you whine."

Charlie laughed. "And none of you will be overwhelmed by my pity party."

"Even better," Amita said, "these guys have handcuffs. We can tie you down and gag you if you get too annoying."

"Or the taser," David added. "There's always the taser if you get too unruly."

Don closed his cell phone and glanced up at his father. "That was weird."

"What?"

"Charlie's feeling that something was wrong. I mean, you know how he feels about psychic phenomena. He'd never admit to anything remotely related to ESP."

Alan shook his head. "But I think this kind of thing is different. Years ago, when your mother was in law school, all the college students used to hitchhike. There were places on campus and in town where students would stand and passersby would pick them up."

"What? That's idiotic! I can't picture Mom being that stupid," Don said. Immediately he regretted his outburst. "I'm sorry, Dad..."

"It's okay. Looking back at it now, I know it was stupid. But it was something that everybody did."

Don grinned. "And if everybody walked off a cliff..."

Alan snorted and shook his head. "Don't you dare throw my parenting cliches in my face, young man. Anyway, your mom was hitchhiking. And while she was gone, I had a sudden feeling, a very strong feeling, that something was terribly wrong. This was before cell phones, of course, so I had to wait until she came home. I was a basket case by the time she arrived. She had just barely opened the door, and I asked her what was wrong. She was really surprised. She asked me how the hell I knew. I told her I didn't know. I just had this feeling. She told me she had accepted a ride from an elderly man. She figured he'd be safe."

"But he wasn't."

"No. When she got ready to get out of the car, he grabbed her arm. He told her she couldn't leave until she gave him a kiss."

"A kiss? She didn't, did she?"

Alan sighed. "She was taken by surprise. She didn't know what else to do, so she kissed him. Then she pulled away from him, opened the car door, and took off running as fast as she could go. She took a taxi back home instead of hitchhiking."

"Wise move."

"But the point is, at the moment she was going through a frightening experience, I felt something. Now I don't believe in psychic abilities any more than Charlie does. But I know what I felt, and I've never felt anything like that before or since."

"You'll have to tell Charlie about this next time you see him."

Alan nodded. "I will. Definitely."


	29. Chapter 29

"Speaking of seeing Charlie again, I think I should go..." Alan began.

"Dad, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go back there today. And Charlie agrees with me. He practically begged me to talk you out of coming to see him today."

Alan chuckled. "I guess his psychic experience really did upset him."

"Oh, man, Dad. If you even use the word 'psychic' when you discuss this with him, it will be all over. He won't hear another thing you say."

Larry and Megan came into the room, carrying cups of hot cocoa. "Here, Don," Megan said, handing him a cup. "We made enough for an army."

"Thanks," Don said.

"Were you two discussing psychic phenomena?" Larry asked as he handed Alan a cup. "You know how Charles feels about the paranormal."

"Oh, yes," Alan said. "But I think he just had an experience that may change his mind."

Larry took a sip of cocoa and grinned. "This is Charles you're talking about, right? Tell me, Alan, Don, have you ever had a great deal of luck when you've tried to get him to change his mind about anything?"

Don and Alan exchanged glances. "No," Alan admitted. "But there's always a first time."

"I'll admit," Megan said, "I haven't known Charlie anywhere near as long as you three have known him, but I think you've got your work cut out for you. And exactly what are you trying to change Charlie's mind about anyway?"

Don recapped the two phone calls, and Alan told them about his experience with Margaret.

"Well," Larry said, "I have to admit you've convinced me, but I tend to have more of an open mind about these things than Charles does. I am not convinced that we are capable of understanding everything about the human mind."

"Of course," Alan said, "you're not trying to discover the math of the brain."

Don yawned. "Sorry," he murmured. "I think I was heading for bed when Charlie called." He stood unsteadily.

Alan jumped up. "Let me give you a hand, Son."

"I'm okay," Don said. "Just a little dizzy."

Alan took Don's chin in his hand and studied his eyes. "I think I should take you back to the hospital. I'm worried about you."

"Alan," Megan said, "why don't we just keep an eye on him, watching for the symptoms of a brain injury? It's easy to do, and we can always get him to the hospital if we notice anything."

"Yeah, Dad. It works for me."

"It means we'll have to wake you up every two hours and make sure you're coherent," Megan said.

Don nodded. "I can handle that if you can."

"Yeah," Megan laughed, "I'll remind you you said that after we wake you up the third or fourth time."

"Hey, it beats going back to the hospital. What do you think, Dad? Can we do it this way?"

Alan sighed. "All right. But at the first sign that anything is wrong, you are going straight back to the hospital. Come on, let me help you."

Don grinned at Megan. "Well, you were able to change Big Papa's mind. There's hope you can change Baby Brother's mind about this psychic stuff."

Megan snorted. "Yeah, right. Alan, I think Don's showing signs of delirium."

Don held up his hands. "Okay. I surrender. Forget I said anything about changing Charlie's mind!"

"So, Charlie," Amita said, "what did Don have to say about your feeling that something was wrong?"

"He told me he wasn't going to give me grief about it." He grinned at Amita, "A course of action I suggest the rest of you take."

Colby said, "But where would be the fun in that?"

"Not everything has to be fun," Charlie said. "I mean, for some people, vacations are fun times. For other people, vacations are events that end up with twenty percent of the participants in the hospital."

"Oh, Charlie," David said, "don't get all cynical on us."

"Who's getting cynical?" Rachael said from the doorway. "My patients aren't allowed to be cynical."

"Nobody's getting cynical. I was just teasing him," David said.

Rachael fixed him with a glare. "I'm not sure if I should allow my patients to be teased either." She lifted Charlie's blanket and took a peek at his leg. "It's looking good. Have you been up and around?"

"Yes ma'am. I just got back from a grueling excursion to the bathroom and back."

"Good for you. How's the pain level?"

Charlie shrugged. "It hurts a little, but nothing I can't handle."

"Just don't try to tough it out, big guy. We're going to gradually wean you off the painkillers, so if it gets too painful, you let us know, okay? Especially if you can't sleep."

"I will. So far sleeping has not been a problem."

"Good. Now let's get your vitals out of the way." When she finished, she patted Charlie on the shoulder. "Looking good, Charlie."

"Speaking of looking good," Amita said, "do you think I could wash Charlie's hair for him?"

"Sure. We've got a basin at the desk that will make it very easy. Do you have shampoo, or should I bring you some?"

"We've got some. But if you have any towels..."

"Tons of 'em. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Rachael came back a few minutes later with an inflated plastic basin. "Okay, Charlie, just put the head of your bed down. You can put your neck in this cutout area, and Amita can wash and rinse your hair. It'll be just like being at the hairdresser's. And you'll be just gorgeous before you know it."

David nudged Colby. "I gotta get me one of those basins."

"Yeah. If it can make Charlie gorgeous who knows what it could do for you."

A pillow flew across the room, smacking Colby in the face. "Hey!" he yelled, "Charlie!"


	30. Chapter 30

While Amita filled a pitcher with warm water, Maggie helped Charlie get situated with the inflatable basin. She ran her fingers through his hair, making sure none of his curls was trapped between his neck and the basin. "Why is it that men always get the nicest hair?" she asked.

Amita returned with the water. "And eyelashes. We have to slather on the mascara, and look at Charlie's lashes. It's not fair."

"How do you know I don't use mascara?" Charlie asked, batting his eyes.

"If you do, it's long lasting stuff," Amita said, as she poured water over Charlie's hair and rubbed shampoo into his curls.

"Mmm," he said, closing his eyes. "That feels nice."

"Well, don't get used to it," Amita said, smiling. "I'm sure Melissa will teach you how to take a shower by yourself before you leave here."

"Too bad," Charlie murmured. "I'm sure I could use help."

Amita rinsed his hair, massaging his scalp gently as she poured the warm water over his head. Then he sat up while Maggie removed the basin and Amita handed him a towel. "There you go, Charlie. I wasn't sure what else you needed. I just brought the shampoo."

"That's fine," Charlie said, squeezing his hair with the towel. "I'm beginning to feel human again."

"You feel like having some lunch?" David asked. "My offer to go for sandwiches still stands."

Charlie pressed the call button. "Yes, Charlie?" Rachael's voice crackled through the speaker.

"This may be a dumb question, but would it be all right if my friends bring me a deli sandwish for lunch?"

Rachael laughed. "I don't see why not. You're not on any special diet. Are they going to the deli in town? Do you think they'd mind picking up something for me?"

Charlie glanced at David, who said, "I wouldn't mind. In fact, why don't you see if anyone else wants anything."

"Oh," Rachael said, "now you may have your work cut out for you."

Don changed into sweats and crawled into bed. A moment later, there was a tapping on his door. "Yeah?" He said. "Come on in."

"Donnie," Alan said, "I brought you some water and some acetaminophen just in case."

"Thanks." Don took the acetaminophen and washed them down with a sip of water. "See you in a couple of hours."

It felt like only minutes had passed when his father woke him up again. "Hey, Dad," Don murmured.

"How you feeling, Son?"

Don rubbed his eyes and pondered the question. "Not bad. Head's still sore, and I'm a little dizzy, but that's to be expected, you know?"

"Sounds like you've had experience with concussions."

"Yeah. Once or twice. I was a little worried after I clonked my head in the car, but it really doesn't feel any worse."

"That's good. Well, I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Thanks, Dad. See you later."

Charlie had just finished his reuben when a woman walked into the room with the covered lunch tray. He moved the debris out of the way so she could put the tray on his table. She shook her head. "I hope you left room for lunch."

"Ummm,.." Charlie said. "Uh, Rachael said it would be okay..."

"I'm just teasing you," she said, laughing. "What'd you have? It smells wonderful."

"A reuben from the deli in town."

"Oh, they make great sandwiches. Much better than this stuff," she tapped a finger on the tray cover. "If you feel like dessert, the fruit cup is actually very good."

"Thanks," Charlie said, lifting the top off of the tray. He put the tea bag into the cup of hot water and took the lid off the fruit cup. "It does look good."

"Well, enjoy," the woman said. "I'll be back for your tray later."

Charlie made another trip to the bathroom after he finished his tea and fruit, and was just getting back into bed when Melissa arrived.

"Hey, Charlie, you're doing a good job there. Nice technique."

"Thanks. This is my second trip since you left."

"All right! You'll be racing down the hallway before long." She held up a pair of crutches. "And I brought you a present."

"Do I need those with the walker?"

"Well, there will be times when a walker just won't work for you. Does your house have stairs?"

"Yes, it does. And the bathroom and my bedroom are on the second floor."

"You'll definitely need these, then. Have you ever used crutches before?"

"No," Charlie said. "But I'll bet I know someone who can teach me."

Melissa laughed. "Really? Who?" She stood the crutches in front of Charlie. "Feel like going for another walk?"

"Sure." Charlie pushed the walker to the side and reached for the crutches.

"Okay. Take both crutches in your left hand. You're going to use your right hand and right leg to get off the bed. Keep your left leg out ahead of you, and don't let your left foot touch the floor."

Charlie stood and awkwardly shifted one of the crutches to his right hand.

"Good. It'll get easier with practice. Now put the crutches under your arms. I may have to make some adjustments. The crutch should come to a couple of inches below your armpit. Brace it against your rib cage. It'll hurt at first, but it will be easier in the long run. Okay, Put your hands here," she guided his hands to the bars. "All right, let me see." Melissa stood in front of Charlie. "Okay, it looks good. Your elbows should be bent slightly, and the tips of the crutches should be out to the sides a couple of inches. You don't want to trip over them. Yes, like that. That's very good. Okay, when you're ready to take a step, put the tips about a foot in front of you. Now lean into the crutches and shift your weight off your right leg. Swing your right leg forward. Great."

Charlie took a few more steps. "By George, I think I've got it."

"Wonderful. Ready to tackle some stairs?"

Charlie was hesitant. "Okay, I guess."

"The stairway is only two doors down from here. You can make it."

"Okay, if you're sure." Charlie walked to the hallway. He turned and saw his friends following him. "You guys must be really bored if you find this entertaining."

"Not bored," Amita said. "I'm really wondering how on earth you're going to manage to negotiate the stairs with those things. There are a lot of steps at Cal Sci."

Melissa said, "I hope the campus is accessible. If it is, I strongly recommend that Charlie use a wheelchair for the first few weeks anyway. Preferably until the doctor says he can put weight on that leg."

"Charlie's boss is checking on the accessibility issue. She's going to get back to me," Amita said.

"That's good." They had reached the door to the stairway. "Okay, going through a door can be difficult. Open the door wide enough for you and your crutches to pass through, and hold it open with the tip of one crutch. There you go! You've got it. Okay, now the steps. We're going to go down first. The rail is on your right, so when you're in position, shift both crutches to your left hand. Now, put the crutches on the next step down. Going down, you want to lead with your bad leg. Now, holding the railing in your right hand, bring your right foot down. Great! Now try a couple of more. Very good. You feeling okay?"

"Actually, yes. I can tell my hands and my ribs are going to hurt if I do this a lot. I've seen people padding their crutches."

"That may be a good idea. You also might want to wear a heavy shirt or sweatshirt. And I've seen people using driving gloves to protect their palms. Okay, now turn around and come back up. When you're coming up stairs, lead with your good leg. Put both crutches on your right side, hold onto the handrail and support yourself while you put your right leg on the next step up. Make sure you keep your left leg raised behind you so your foot doesn't touch the step."

"Whoa," Charlie said as he wobbled on the step. "I can see it would be really easy for me to lose my balance. I have to remember to lean forward when I do this."

"Good idea. I would suggest that at first, you have someone stand by when you negotiate stairs. Now shift your weight to your right leg, support yourself on the handrail and bring the crutch up. Just remember 'up with the good, down with the bad.' You lead with your good leg when you're going up, and you lead with the crutch when you're going down."

When he reached the landing, Charlie shifted a crutch to his left side and led the way back to his bed. He dropped heavily onto the bed, his arms shaking as he leaned the crutches against the walker. "I wish I'd spent more time doing pushups."

Melissa chuckled. "I can guarantee that by the time you finish this, you will be buff."

"If my arms don't fall off first," Charlie reached up and rubbed his shoulder.

"Okay, why don't you swing your legs up onto the bed and let me have a look."

"What exactly are you looking for?"

"You must be feeling better," Melissa said. "You're getting inquisitive. Anyway, I'm looking for signs of infection in your wound, and where the pins enter the skin. I'm checking for nerve damage by making sure you're feeling what you should be feeling. And I'm watching for swelling. It's important to keep your leg elevated when you're sitting or lying down. Swelling can cut off circulation, which can cause tissue damage."

"So, do I pass?"

Melissa tickled the bottom of Charlie's foot and grinned when he jumped. "With flying colors, Charlie."


	31. Chapter 31

Christmas day came to a close in a way none of the Eppes family or their friends could have anticipated three days earlier. Charlie sat alone in his hospital room, reading Larry's paper. Back at the cabin, Don slept in two-hour increments, becoming increasingly annoyed at being awakened. Colby and David had decided to make one last visit to the ski slopes. Alan and Maggie had made supper and everybody had pitched in to clean up.

Now it was dark, and Colby and David came through the front door, stomping snow from their feet.

"How were the slopes?" Alan asked.

"Great," Colby said. "Charlie did a great job picking this place."

"I wonder how he's doing," Amita said. "I shouldn't have let him talk me into coming back with you."

Maggie patted Amita's hand. "He was looking awfully tired. He'll get some sleep tonight without anyone there to keep him awake."

"We'll spend some time with him tomorrow," Alan said. "After those who have to get back to work leave."

"Aw, Alan, don't rub it in," Megan said.

"Yeah," David said. "Not only do we have to work, but we also have to cover for the boss man while he relaxes up here in the mountains."

"Right," Colby said. "I'm beginning to think he and Charlie planned this whole thing so they could extend their vacations."

"Some vacation," Don said as he walked into the living room.

"Donnie!" Alan said, hurrying to his son's side. "How are you doing?"

"Good. I think I'm about slept out for a while. What'd you guys have for supper?"

"Maggie and I made lasagna. You sit. I'll heat some up for you."

"Sounds good. I don't suppose I could have a glass of wine."

"Sorry. I don't think that would be wise. There's some Coke in the fridge, and some coffee in the pot."

"Coke sounds good," Don said, walking toward the kitchen.

"Sit. Stay," Alan said. "I'll bring it to you."

"Sit? Stay? Oh, man, Dad, have you been watching the 'Dog Whisperer' again? We don't even own a dog."

"Of course we don't. But his theories about being the alpha dog in your pack can also work in families."

Megan laughed. "Alpha dog? Alan, I thought you were the Papa Bear."

Larry squeezed Megan's hand. "The two are not necessarily exclusive, my dear. The concept of Papa Bear is actually the same as that of the alpha dog, applied to a different species. Both imply a dominance..."

Megan leaned forward and kissed him. "I know," she murmured. "I was just teasing."

Larry returned her kiss with gusto. "That is one of the many things I love about you."

David and Colby exchanged glances, and Colby said, "I think I'm going to see about getting a piece of that lasagna."

David nodded. "Me too."

As they passed Don, Colby said, "I looked at your skis, Don. I don't think they're too bad. You might want to wax them and have the edges sharpened and the bindings checked before you use them again. But they looked pretty good to me."

"That's good. Did you have a look at Charlie's skis?"

"Yeah. He kind of munged up the left one, but I think a good shop should be able to take care of it. His poles are trashed, though. Your one pole is pretty smashed. The other one looked okay."

"Good. Thanks, Buddy. I wish I could hit the slopes once more before we leave."

"There's still a lot of winter left."

"I know. Maybe if the bad guys take a break, we can get a little more skiing in before the snow melts."

"Don't hold your breath," David said.

A few minutes later, David, Colby and Alan returned with three plates of lasagna. "Anyone else hungry?" Alan asked.

"Oh, no," Maggie said, "I couldn't eat another bite."

"Me either," Ben added. "Though you three are in for quite a treat. The lasagna is exceptionally good."

Charlie's supper hadn't been nearly as exciting. The hospital kitchen staff had gone out of their way to make dinner as festive as possible in honor of Christmas. Dinner was turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, dressing and mixed vegetables. Charlie was pleasantly surprised that the turkey appeared to be the genuine article, not the shaped and formed and processed concoction that institutions normally tried to pass off as turkey.

He moved Larry's article to the side and devoted his undivided attention to supper for a few quiet minutes. He wondered what the others were up to. He had insisted that Amita go back with them, because he knew she would be hopelessly bored watching him sleep. For a brief, selfish moment, he wished she had insisted on staying. He glanced at the phone and at his watch. He wanted to call Don or Dad, or Amita. Or even Larry.

With a sigh, he turned back to his dinner. Dessert was pumpkin pie with whipped cream. He would have preferred lemon meringue, but pumpkin would do. When he had licked the last of the whipped cream from his fork and put the lid back on the tray, he pushed the table aside and lowered the head of his bed. Larry would have explained that the L-tryptophan in the turkey was gradually making its way to his brain and changing into serotonin. Whether it was the L-tryptophan, the serotonin, or just the side effects of his pain medication combined with a pleasantly full tummy, Charlie began to drift to sleep.

He jerked awake when the woman returned to pick up his tray.

"Oh," she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"'S'okay," Charlie murmured. "Dinner was very good, by the way. Thank you."

"You're welcome. What a way to spend Christmas, huh?"

"It definitely was not what I had planned," Charlie said, grinning sleepily. "But I'm Jewish, so it's not as bad."

The woman laughed. "It's still a lousy way to spend any day. Sorry again for waking you up."

"It's not a problem. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

He stretched, rubbed his eyes and realized he had better make the hike to the bathroom before he fell asleep again. He wouldn't be able to just run to the bathroom when the urge hit. These things had to be planned carefully in advance. Sighing, he reminded himself that this was going to be his life for the next couple of months.

Without a moment's hesitation, he selected the walker instead of the crutches. His shoulders still ached from his earlier foray on the crutches. He had just returned to his bed and poured himself a cup of ice water when Rachael knocked on the door frame.

"Hi," she said, "time for your vitals one more time before I go home."

"Hi. Come on in."

"Wow, it's quiet in here with everyone gone."

"Almost like a hospital zone or something," Charlie said. "We weren't too noisy, were we?"

"No, not at all. It was nice seeing your family and friends spending time with you. That was sweet."

"Yeah, it was. Especially considering it's my own damned fault I'm in here."

"Hey. Don't beat yourself up. Accidents happen." She popped the thermometer into Charlie's mouth. "There. Now you can't argue with me. At least until that thing beeps. Your vitals are looking good, Charlie. Are the pain meds handling the pain okay for you?"

Charlie nodded.

"Good. And I know you've been getting up and moving around " She pulled the beeping thermometer out of his mouth. "How'd you like the crutches?"

"I hated 'em. But I'll need to use them on the stairs in my house."

"Can't you just stay downstairs for a few days."

Charlie shook his head. "Not with the bathroom upstairs, I can't."

Rachael glanced at her watch. "Well, you're not my only patient, Charlie. You take care of yourself, all right?"

"I will. Goodnight."

Charlie picked up Larry's paper and sipped ice water as he read. Picking up his pencil, he began making notations in the margins.


	32. Chapter 32

Charlie knelt in the snow. He was surprised that he wasn't cold, in spite of the fact that he was wearing nothing but his baggy sweatpants and tee shirt. He glanced down at his feet. They were bare, and the external fixator on his left leg peeked out from under the cuff of his sweats. He wondered if he was dreaming. Then he saw Don, lying perfectly still, blood pouring from his head. His eyes were open, unblinking. "Don?" Charlie touched his brother's cold, still face. "Don!"

Someone touched his shoulder. A woman's voice said, "Shhh. Charlie. It's okay."

Charlie's eyes flew open, and he sat up, gasping.

The nurse stood beside him. He seemed to remember her name was Jill. "Charlie. It's okay. Don's fine."

Charlie took a long, shaky breath. "I know. He was sent home this morning. I'm sorry. Was I being loud?"

"No. I was in here anyway, taking your vitals. Are you okay?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes. I'm fine. I had a nightmare."

"About your brother."

"I dreamt he was dead."

"You two are really close, aren't you?"

Charlie smiled and nodded. "Yes, we are. We weren't always. He's five years older than I am, and he was always a jock. I was his brainiac little brother. But the last few years, we've been working together, and we're actually beginning to learn that we complement each other. I can do things he can't do, and vice versa. Together, we're a great team. But Sunday, I thought I'd killed him when I ran into him on the ski slope."

"And in your nightmares, you did kill him."

Charlie nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Tonight's nightmare wasn't anywhere near as bad as last night's. Last night, I actually got out of bed and tried to walk to Don's bed."

"Well," Jill said, "at least they're getting better. That's got to be a good sign."

"I hope so. What time is it?"

"Three fifteen."

"I probably shouldn't call Don to make sure he's okay."

"I wouldn't think so. Not if you want to keep up that good relationship you've developed. Why don't you put on some music? I find that helps when I'm having bad dreams. It kind of ties you to the real world or something."

Charlie reached for his Ipod. "That's a wonderful idea. Thank you."

Five hours later, Charlie awoke, surprisingly refreshed. The music really had helped him sleep. He'd have to remember to thank Jill for the suggestion. But now he had to make a trip to the little boy's room. This time he fished his toiletries out of the suitcase, determined to make himself presentable. The problem was going to be getting all his stuff into the bathroom. He looked around, and finally found a small basin that he thought he could balance on top of his walker. As he put his equipment into the basin, he made a mental note to ask his dad to look for a basket or bag of some kind to make it easier to carry his toiletries.

He felt much better when he finished washing, combing his hair and brushing his teeth. He decided to check the suitcase to see if there was another tee shirt he could change in to. Leaving his toiletries in the basin in the bathroom, he turned the walker around and headed back to bed.

His breakfast tray was on his table, waiting for him, so he decided to eat before looking for clean clothes. He checked his watch, and decided to call the rental agent about the cabin.

"Good morning, Regal Rentals, Diane speaking."

"Hi, Diane, this is Charlie Eppes..."

"Charlie! How's the cabin? Is everyone enjoying it?"

"It's wonderful. But I have a little problem."

"Whatever it is, I'll fix it for you."

Charlie laughed. "How are you at fixing broken legs?"

"Oh my gosh, Charlie! What happened?"

"A little skiing accident. But the problem is we're supposed to be out of the cabin tomorrow, and I won't be out of the hospital until Thursday or Friday. A few of our friends are leaving today, but that will still leave my dad and brother with nowhere to stay."

"Let me see who's in the cabin next." Charlie heard the clicking of the computer keyboard, then Diane came back on the line. "You're in luck! The next group won't be here until Saturday night. If you can be out of the cabin by noon on Saturday, I'll have time to get it ready for them."

"Are you sure that's enough time?"

"It's going to be tight, but I don't want to leave your family stranded."

"If I do get out of here Friday, we can be out of the cabin by Friday night. Will that be better?"

"It would. Just call me when you know when you'll be out of the cabin, okay? We'll make it work for you, Charlie."

"Thanks, Diane. I really do appreciate it. You have my credit card number, so just charge the extra days and any fees to that same card."

"I will, hon. You take care of yourself, okay? Do you need anything? I can stop by the hospital..."

"You don't have to do that. My friends and family are taking very good care of me."

After he finished the call to Diane, he took the lid off his tray and put the teabag into the cup of hot water. He looked at the oatmeal and fruit cup, and wished they were sausage and eggs, or even bagels and cream cheese. But apparently those options weren't healthy enough to serve in a hospital. With a sigh, he ate the oatmeal, washed the taste out of his mouth with the fruit, and sat back to drink his tea.

The phone rang, making Charlie jump and nearly spill his tea. He picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hey, Chuck!" Don's said. "How you doing?"

"Wishing I had one of those bagels instead of the oatmeal I had to eat this morning. How are you?"

"Chowing down on one of Dad's amazing breakfasts..."

"Shaddup. I don't want to hear about it. Hey, I called the rental agent. We've got the cabin until Saturday at noon if we need it. But she's got someone coming in Saturday night, so I'm hoping if I get out of here Thursday or Friday..."

"Don't rush it, Charlie. You stay there as long as the doctor says you need it."

Charlie could hear Alan asking questions in the background. He chuckled. "Tell Big Poppa not to worry. I'm obeying doctor's orders."

Don laughed and passed the message on to their father. "He says you'd better or he'll break your other leg."

"Oh, sweet. Hey, are you guys coming over here today?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe we'd just hang out here and have fun. Why?"

Charlie hesitated, not sure exactly how to answer.

"I'm kidding, Charlie. Of course we're coming over. Megan, Larry, David and Colby are going back this afternoon, but we figured we'd all stop by and bring you some more appetizing lunch, then they'll leave from there. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good to me. Do you think you guys could find me something that I can use to carry stuff while I'm using my walker? It was a little bit of a challenge taking my stuff into the bathroom this morning."

"I can see how it would be. We'll find something for you."

"Thanks."

"How'd you sleep last night?"

"Okay," Charlie said softly.

"No nightmares?"

"Just one, but it wasn't as bad as the night before."

"Good. I told you to call me if you needed anything, Buddy."

"I know. The nurse was in here taking my vitals. She helped me through it. And she suggested I put music on before I went back to sleep. It worked. I didn't have any more nightmares after that."

"That's good. So why didn't you call me?"

"It was three in the morning. Jill convinced me it would not be a good idea to call you at that hour."

Don chuckled. "She was right. Is there anything else you need us to bring?"

"Yeah. I think these sweats are the only ones I brought, and I want to change out of them. You think you could pick me up a couple of pairs of nice, baggy sweats?"

"We can do that. Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of. Get back to your breakfast, Bro. I'll see you later."


	33. Chapter 33

Charlie was sitting up in bed, drinking tea and reading Larry's paper when the gang arrived. He put the paper down and grinned. "Hi."

Amita sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around Charlie. "Hi,"she whispered. "I missed you."

Charlie gave her a long kiss and said, "I missed you more."

Don held up a bag. "I've got a Philly cheesesteak for Charlie," he sing-songed.

Amita released Charlie. "You'd better eat it while it's still hot."

Charlie raised his eyebrows, but refrained from commenting. He took the bag from Don. "Thanks, Bro. What made you decide on a cheesesteak?"

"I don't know. It just sounded good."

Charlie opened the bag and pulled the sandwich out. He inhaled deeply and his stomach growled. "Smells good." He looked up. "Didn't you guys get lunch?"

"We ate already. Go ahead, enjoy yourself," Alan said.

"And," Colby said, handing Charlie a tall cup, "Your dad wouldn't let us buy you a beer."

"Yeah," David said, "he thought you'd like a chocolate shake instead."

"I think he's right," Charlie said, taking the cup. "Thanks."

Charlie had unwrapped the sandwich and taken a bite when Larry approached and picked up his paper. Charlie slapped his wrist. "Hey," Charlie stopped to swallow. "I haven't finished with it yet."

"I was just curious, Charles. I thought I'd get an idea of your thought processes. I am going back with Megan this afternoon..."

"What time are you leaving?"

Larry gave Megan a questioning glance. She said, "We were thinking of leaving around three."

"I'll be done with the paper before then," Charlie said. "I'm almost finished with it. So will you leave it alone and let me eat in peace?"

"Charles, you are a tad irritable today."

Charlie bit into the sandwich and closed his eyes while he savored the blend of steak, onion and provolone cheese. He opened his eyes and grinned at Don. "You remembered I like provolone."

"You know," Alan said, "some Philly cheesesteak purists insist that Cheez Whiz is the only acceptable cheese."

Charlie shook his head. "Cheez Whiz wasn't invented in 1930 when Pat Olivieri created the Philly cheesesteak."

"Ah," Larry interrupted. "But Pat did not use cheese on his steak sandwich. Geno's was the first to add cheese."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you know the history of the cheesesteak."

Charlie licked his fingers. "Princeton is not that far from Philadelphia."

"And," Larry added, "not only does Philadelphia have the most incredible cheesesteak, but they also have amazing museums." Larry leaned forward, staring at Charlie's sandwich. "Charles, I do believe that's a genuine Amoroso's roll."

Charlie turned the sandwich, studying it carefully. "I believe you are correct, sir." He took another bite. "Or it's an excellent facsimile. Perhaps we should ask our forgery expert," he turned to Ben, grinning.

Ben shook his head. "I'm afraid my expertise doesn't extend to sandwich rolls. Unless they've been painted by an impressionist."

"Mm. Couldn't be. It's definitely too fresh."

Larry looked perplexed. "Too fresh to be Amoroso's?"

"No. Too fresh to be painted by an impressionist. Never mind," Charlie took another bite and washed it down with a drink of his shake. "You know, we have the cabin until Saturday morning, so you're welcome to stay..."

Larry shrugged. "You're doing fine now, and ..."

Charlie chuckled. "And you prefer Megan's company to mine."

"Oh, no, Charles. Well, I mean... well, yes, I suppose I do."

"Good," Charlie said, licking melted provolone from his fingers. "I would have worried if you didn't."

When he finished the sandwich, Charlie used a wad of napkins to wipe his hands and picked up Larry's paper. "I apologize for being a bad host, but I want to finish this for Larry."

"Don't worry, Chuck," Don said, "we'll talk amongst ourselves."

"Charles, you don't have to..." Larry protested.

"Shhh. I'll be done in five minutes."

Seven minutes later, Charlie handed the paper to Larry. He glanced at his watch. "Sorry I underestimated how long it would take."

Larry was lost in Charlie's notes, nodding as he read. "Oh, of course. Why didn't I see that? Charles! You're brilliant. Thank you." He sat down on the empty bed and continued to read, muttering to himself.

"So," Charlie said, "how did you guys spend Christmas night?"

"Charlie," Maggie said, "it was lovely. Your dad made lasagna, and we just spent a quiet evening playing games."

"We played your favorite," Alan said, "Scrabble."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "And I'm certain you told everybody about my spelling shortcomings."

"Of course," Alan said.

"Has Don nagged you to let him go skiing?"

"Oh, man, Chuck," Don said, " I tried. But I think he became immune to nagging after having to put up with you for thirty years."

"I don't nag."

There was a tapping on the door frame, and Dr. Wasserman and his daughter, Mandy entered, accompanied by another young lady. "Say," Dr. Wasserman said, "something smells good."

"I ... uh... just finished a Philly cheesesteak," Charlie admitted.

"Which I assume did not come from the hospital kitchen," Dr. Wasserman said.

"Ah, that would be a correct assumption," Charlie said, reddening slightly as he looked down at his hands.

"Good," Dr. Wasserman said, grinning.

"Dad! That was mean!" Mandy said punching her dad on the arm.

Dr. Wasserman shrugged. "Sorry. I couldn't resist. So, Charlie, I'd like to have a look at my handiwork if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Charlie said, pushing the bedside table aside and carefully starting to pull up his pantleg.

"It's okay," the doctor said, "I've got it. Just lift your leg a couple of inches. That's it. Hey, it's looking good. How's it feeling?"

Mandy and the other girl looked at Charlie's leg. Mandy said, "Is that an infection? There, where it's pink?"

"Here?" Dr. Wasserman asked, pointing at the wound where the bone had punctured the skin. "It's just a little irritated. With the antibiotics he's on, I don't expect any infection at this point."

"Well, that's good," Mandy said. "Oh, Professor Eppes, this is my friend Jenn."

Jenn stepped forward and shook Charlie's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Eppes. Mandy has been talking about you nonstop since August. When she said you were here, I told her I had to meet you."

Charlie smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Jenn." He turned to Mandy. "What have you been saying about me?"

"Oh, not much. Just what a great teacher you are. How smart you are, and how interesting your class is."

"And..." Jenn said, giving Mandy an evil grin.

"And how I've learned so much from you." Mandy grabbed her friend's arm and turned her to face Larry. "Jenn, this is Professor Fleinhardt.. He was on the space station. And this is Professor Ramanujan, and Professors Dr. and Mrs. Cole."

Charlie grinned at Dr. Wasserman. "Nice redirection."

"Just wait until you have kids of your own," Wasserman said, rolling his eyes. "All right, you came in here on Sunday, right? And today's Tuesday. How about we plan on getting you out of here on Thursday? If everything goes well, that is. I'd like to get one more x-ray before I release you, and I want to make sure Melissa is happy with your progress. She tells me you've already tackled the stairs. And she's planning on showing you how to take a shower tomorrow."

Don laughed. "Now that's going to be a relief for the rest of us!"

"Hey," Charlie said, "I took a sponge bath this morning. Amita, I don't stink, do I?"

"Umm..." Amita said, giggling.

"Okay, so I guess I'll learn how to take a shower before I lose all my friends."


	34. Chapter 34

By Wednesday morning, Don was hopelessly bored. Colby, David, Megan and Larry had gone back to Los Angeles. Charlie was still in the hospital, and Don wanted to go skiing.

"Come on, Dad. Just once before we have to go back? Who knows when I'll have another chance to go skiing. I'll stick to the blue square slope."

"I don't know, Donnie..."

"Green circle. I'll stick to the green circle slopes. And I'll only go if someone goes with me. Once I go back to work, there's no telling when I'll be able to take time off."

Alan sighed. "I know that's true, Donnie, but I am worried about you. You have that concussion. It's going to affect your balance and your vision. I just don't think it's a good idea. And if you bump your head again, who knows what will happen."

"Dad, I'm not a kid."

"You're sounding like one, Donnie.

Don said, "Dad, I'm a good skier. The accident on Sunday was a fluke. It never would have happened if Charlie had been watching where he was going."

"Don. That was uncalled for. You know how guilty Charlie feels about this whole thing."

"I know, Dad. That's why I have not said anything like that around him, and I will not say anything like that around him. But it's true. You know it's true, and Charlie knows it's true."

Alan rubbed his eyes. "You're right. Of course you're right. You promise you'll be careful?"

Don sat next to his father. "You know I'll be careful. Having a concussion is no fun."

"Alan," Ben said, "if it will stop his whinging, I'll go with him."

"Me too," Maggie said. "We'll keep an eye on him."

Alan sighed. "I don't want to sit back here waiting for the ski patrol to call me to meet them at the hospital. I'll come too."

Don pumped his fist in the air, "Yessss!"

Alan chuckled. "Oh, right. You're not a kid."

Don grinned. "I'm just a very happy adult. Thanks, Dad." He glanced at Amita. "How about you, Amita? You want to go skiing?"

Amita shrugged. "I thought I'd take one of the cars and go visit Charlie while you're skiing. If that's okay."

"That's fine," Don said. "Don't tell him where we are, though. He'd freak out."

"Oh, I don't know," Alan said. "He is an adult."

Charlie woke up early on Wednesday. There was a lot he was going to have to learn if he was going to be released on Thursday. Jill came in after breakfast, carrying a plastic basket full of supplies. "All right, Charlie, are you ready to learn how to take care of your fixator?"

"Definitely!"

"It's going to seem kind of intimidating at first, but soon enough you'll be doing it without thinking about it. The basic principle is that these pins could carry infection from the surface into your bones. You'll have to clean the pins and the skin around them three times a day. The wound where the bone pierced the skin will be covered by a sterile dressing until the stitches come out in about ten days. We'll send our records to your doctor back in Pasadena and he or she will take it from there."

"Okay," Charlie said. "But Dr. Wasserman said he didn't expect an infection with the antibiotics I'm taking."

"True," Jill said. "But he was probably talking about the wound, not the pins. It's standard procedure to keep the pins clean." She showed Charlie how to use peroxide and swabs to clean the pins. Then she produced a long, narrow plastic bag. "Now this handy device will allow you to take a shower. You'll need to keep the wound dry at least until after the stitches are out. Slide this over the fixator and seal it like this." She demonstrated the seal, then undid it and had Charlie seal it again. "Melissa should be here in a little while. She'll show you the fine points of showering without putting any weight on your broken leg."

"Good! Maybe then my family will stop complaining about the odor."

Jill laughed. "Believe me, Charlie, you smell like roses compared to some of the patients I've had the misfortune to smell. Now, why don't you sit back and relax until Melissa gets here? You know she'll give you a real workout."

"True," Charlie said. "But I really can't wait to get home. It's going to be hard to sit still."

"I know for a fact that there are algorithms on the internet to help doctors decide when to use fixators, and how long to leave them on. I figure a mathematician like you might be tempted to Google 'external fixator' and 'algorithm.'" She turned to leave. "Just a suggestion."

Charlie pulled the bedside table over and opened his laptop. "Now that's like waving a red flag in front of a bull."

"I'll be fine," Amita reassured Alan as Ben handed her the keys to his SUV. "It's not snowing. The winds have died down. The roads are nice and clear. You guys enjoy skiing. What should I tell Charlie?"

"I suppose you could tell him we've decided to indulge his older brother's death wish," Alan grumbled.

"Dad." Don turned to Amita. "Why don't you just tell him we decided to see the sights and we'll be along later?"

"Seeing the sights?" Maggie said. "That sounds reasonable. I was complaining about a snowless Christmas. It would make sense for us to drive around looking at the white stuff."

"All right," Don said, "So we have our story straight? Let's hit the slopes!"

When Melissa arrived, Charlie had filled several pages of his notebook with algorithms about the use of external fixators.

"Good morning, Charlie," she said. "Hey, what are you up to?"

"Jill told me about the algorithms that were developed regarding the use of external fixators. I was just tinkering with them a little."

"And what have you learned?"

"That Dr. Wasserman was definitely right to choose this course of treatment for me, but I may have clarified the decision process for borderline cases." He put his pencil down. "But you're not here to discuss algorithms. I hear a rumor you're going to take me out back and hose me down."

"I'm afraid the hoses are all put away for the winter. How about I teach you how to take a shower instead?"

"I can't wait. Should I use crutches or the walker?"

"I think the walker will be easier."

"Okay. My dad brought me a basket to help me carry my bathroom stuff around. And Jill gave me this plastic gadget to cover the fixator." He held up stainless steel basket with a nice long handle "I just slide this over the handlebar like this and put everything I need in it, and away I go."

"Very nice. I've already made sure the shower is stocked with towels and washcloths. You can either bring a change of clothes with you, or just change into them before you go."

"Hey, I like the idea of changing first. It will minimize what I have to carry."

"Good idea. Some people don't like putting clean clothes on until after they shower. I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference."

"Me either."

Melissa pulled the curtain to give Charlie privacy while he changed and then accompanied him down the hall to the shower. "We've got handicapped showers here, but at home you can use one of those white plastic resin chairs to sit on. It's a lot easier than trying to balance on one leg. Just have a seat, take off your clothes, put the cover on your fixator and shower like you normally would. I'll be right outside the door if you need help."

By the time Amita arrived, Charlie was sitting in a chair, working on his laptop. He was even wearing a sneaker on his right foot and a slipper sock on his left foot. He looked up and smiled at Amita. "Hi."

She bent and gave him a hug. "You're looking good, Charlie." She sniffed. "And smelling good too."

"Today's lesson was Showering 101. And I've got great news!"

"Yeah? What?" 

"Melissa agreed with Dr. Wasserman. I'm out of here tomorrow morning!"

"Oh, that is wonderful, Charlie."

"Didn't Dad and Don come with you?"

"Ah, no. They decided to take Ben and Maggie sightseeing. They wanted to see snow for Christmas, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to show them some."

"And you didn't want to see snow?"

"I've seen quite enough, thank you very much. Besides, I was missing you." She knelt beside Charlie, put her arms around his neck and pulled him into a long kiss.

"Mmm. I'm glad you decided to skip the tour." Charlie pulled back and a frown crossed his face. "Don didn't go skiing, did he?" When Amita hesitated, Charlie slammed his fist on the arm of the chair. "He did, didn't he?"

Amita nodded. "They were hoping you'd buy the sightseeing story. Don and your dad were afraid you'd..."

"...freak out," Charlie whispered. "Yeah, they were right. What were they thinking? Just one slip, and Don could be right back here. He's got a concussion. I can't believe Dad went along with this idiotic plan. Don wore him down, didn't he?"

Amita nodded, "Yes, Charlie, he did. But he promised not to ski by himself, and he was going to stick to the green circle slopes. Your dad insisted on going along to keep an eye on him. And," she sighed, "they swore me to secrecy."

Charlie squeezed Amita's hand. "I won't let on you told me. And, actually you didn't tell me. You just confirmed what I figured out on my own."

"That's true. I just couldn't bring myself to lie to you."

"Any idea how long they'll be skiing?"

Amita shook her head. "I can't imagine your dad letting it go on too long, though. They'll probably be here in a couple of hours. Why?"

Charlie grinned. "Maybe we can give Don a little dose of his own medicine."


	35. Chapter 35

When Don, Alan, Maggie and Ben arrived at Charlie's room, they were met by an odd sight. Charlie was gone. His walker and crutches were next to the bed, and Amita sat in the chair, her face in her hands.

"Amita?" Alan said, "What's wrong?"

Amita stood and launched herself into Alan's arms, sobbing. "Charlie... he... he..."

"Amita! What is it? What happened?" Alan pulled back and, with his back to the others, gave Amita a wink. "Is everything okay?"

She looked from Alan to Don and said, "Don, I'm sorry. I know I wasn't supposed to tell Charlie you went skiing."

"You told him?" Don said, "Why did you do that?"

"I didn't mean to. He guessed. I don't know how, but somehow he figured out what was going on. He asked me outright if you had gone skiing. I couldn't lie to him."

"What did he do?" Don demanded.

"He..." Amita bit her lip, "he got really upset. He decided he was going to go find you and stop you. He got out of bed and started to walk to the door."

"Without his walker," Don added.

"Without his walker. He managed two steps before he fell. I can't believe he did that when it's only been three days since the accident."

"Amita," Alan said, "I'm sure he had a good reason."

"What reason could he have?" Don asked. "He put himself at risk. Who knows what he..." A look of horror crossed Don's face. "Amita, where is he now?"

"Surgery."

"What an idiot!" Don exploded. "What on earth was he thinking?"

The bathroom door creaked open, and Charlie stood, leaning against the sink. "I could ask you the same thing, Don. Skiing?"

"Hi, Charlie," Alan said, grinning. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Dad. But if I'm going to stay that way, I'll need my walker."

Don carried the walker to the bathroom door and slammed it onto the floor. "That wasn't funny, Charlie. And you," he turned to Alan. "You were in on it, weren't you?"

Alan shrugged. "It sounded like a good way to teach you a lesson."

Don turned back to Charlie, "Why the hell did you play such a juvenile trick on me?"

Charlie leaned on the walker. "I was thinking I'd give you a dose of your own medicine, Don," he said softly. "Amita didn't tell me, so don't blame her. I figured out you'd gone skiing, and she just confirmed it." He began making his way back to his bed, but Don stood in his way.

"You really had us worried," Don turned and scowled at Alan, then turned back to Charlie, "... you had ME worried."

Charlie tried to push past Don. "And you had me worried, Don." 

"You weren't supposed to find out about it."

"But I did, Don. And I found out you wanted Amita to lie to me. You were afraid your wimpy little brother wouldn't be able to take the stress." He walked around Don and headed to his bed.

Don grabbed Charlie's elbow. "Well, I'm sorry if I didn't want you worrying about me. And I don't think you're a wimp."

Charlie pulled away from Don. "Right. Don, you made your own decision to go skiing. I respect that. But why don't you have enough respect for me to be honest with me?" He reached the bed and sat, looking at Don, waiting for his answer.

Don took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then sat on the bed beside his brother. "You're right. I shouldn't have tried to hide it from you. When you had that nightmare the other night, it scared the crap out of me. I didn't want to put you through that again. If anyone was a wimp, it was me."

Charlie looked down at his hands for a long moment, then grinned at Don. "You were pretty wimpy. I mean, even if I wanted to beat you up, there's no way I could catch you."

"You're right," Don said, "I don't know what I was thinking, Buddy. Even without a broken leg, you never could catch me."

"Well," Maggie said to Ben, "it looks like the Brothers Eppes are going to live happily ever after."

"That's a relief," Ben said. "I do think we should applaud Amita and Alan for their acting ability."

Don scowled at them. "You were in on it, too?"

"Of course," Maggie said. "But purely as spectators."

Don sighed and shook his head. "Amita, I owe you an apology. And, Dad, I'm sorry I gave you a few more gray hairs."

Amita laughed, "Now this is starting to sound like one of those awful after school specials. Hey, I almost forgot. Charlie got great news this morning."

Don rolled his eyes, "What? He saved a bunch of money on his car insurance?"

"No. He has been cleared to get out of here tomorrow morning," Amita said.

"Way to go, Chuck!" Don said, clapping Charlie on the shoulder. "I hope you find something warmer to put on your foot. It's darn cold out there."


	36. Chapter 36

Nearly eight weeks after the Christmas Eve skiing accident, Amita waited in her apartment. Charlie was supposed to pick her up for the Cal Sci Valentine Ball. She glanced at her watch again. Still fifteen minutes before Charlie was due, but she was worried.

He had left school yesterday before lunch to go to a doctor appointment. She hadn't seen him since. He had called in sick this morning. He hadn't called her or Larry. He had called Millie's secretary and left a message asking Millie to cancel his classes. That was not like Charlie. She had tried his cell phone, but there was no answer. She called Alan, but he said not to worry. Everything was fine. Finally, she got a text message. "We're still on for 7. Love you." She immediately dialed his number. No answer.

Sighing, she stood in front of the mirror and touched up her lipstick. She was satisfied with her clothes and hair. She had selected a ruby red velvet dress with a deep scooped neckline. Her necklace was a crystal pendant hanging from a red velvet band that matched her dress. The only thing that bothered her was the worry line between her eyebrows. She jumped when the intercom crackled. "Amita?"

She ran to the door and pushed the button. "Charlie! Let me get my shoes on and I'll come down." She had taken to meeting him downstairs so he wouldn't have to negotiate the long corridor with his walker or crutches.

"That's okay. Just buzz me in."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. Come on. The flowers are wilting."

Amita laughed and pushed the buzzer. Then she took one last look at her hair and makeup in the mirror next to the door. She brushed a bit of lint off her dress and put her shoes on. She picked up the textbook she was reviewing and stood in the doorway, waiting for Charlie. The elevator door binged, and she put the book down to prop the door open. She waited, listening for the metallic rattling of Charlie's walker. When she didn't hear it, she assumed he must be using his crutches.

He appeared around the corner, grinning. Dressed in a black tux, he held a huge bouquet of roses in his left hand, and in his right hand, he held a cane. She looked down at his feet and noticed he had shiny black dress shoes on both feet. "Charlie! That's amazing!" She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. "You got your fixator off!"

Charlie stumbled and flung his hand out to catch himself against the wall.

"Oh, Charlie! I'm sorry. I almost knocked you over."

"It's okay," he said, holding up the bouquet of red and white rosebuds. "I brought you flowers. If you could take them, I can give you a proper hug."

Amita took the roses and sniffed them. "They're beautiful. And they smell lovely, too."

He touched her cheek and leaned forward to kiss her. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I tried, but I couldn't find any as beautiful as you."

Amita wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him enthusiastically. When they stopped to catch their breath, she said, "Let's go inside and put them in water."

"Good idea," he murmured. "We've put on enough of a show for your neighbors."

She let Charlie go through the door first, then bent to pick up her doorstop. She looked up and caught Charlie grinning at her. "From what I've read so far," she said, "this may be the best use for this particular text. Why don't you have a seat while I find a vase?"

Charlie sat in an overstuffed chair and gingerly used both hands to lift his left leg onto the ottoman. "You know, Amita, I don't know how you do it."

Amita appeared, carrying the bouquet in one hand and a vase full of water in the other. "Do what?"

"How do you manage to get more beautiful every time I see you?"

Amita put the flowers in the vase, put the vase on an end table and sat on the arm of Charlie's chair. Instead of answering, she bent and kissed his cheek. "How's your leg?"

"Sore. I had the fixator taken off yesterday. The doctor says it's healing amazingly well." He took her hand and kissed it. "I thought we might do a little dancing tonight."

"Your doctor approved of that?" 

"He made me promise to take it easy, but, yes, he did say we could dance."

"I don't think it's a good idea. You don't want to set yourself back, do you?"

"Of course not. But I don't think one romantic slow dance will hurt. How about we make a deal? If my leg bothers me the least little bit, I'll stop. I just don't want to sit through hours of beautiful music, with the most beautiful woman in the world and not dance. And, just in case, I have my walker in my car. I will use it if I need it." He fingered the handle of the cane. "I just couldn't wait to show you."

"So why did you call in sick today?"

"It was part of the deal with my doctor. He said I could go to the ball, and dance one dance with my sweetheart, if and only if I stayed off my feet all day today."

"You should have told me. I worried about you all day."

"Dad was supposed to tell you everything was okay. And I left you a text message. I wanted to surprise you tonight." He tugged at his pant leg. "Did you know I had to have Dad take these to the tailor so he could sew the leg back up? I'd already had the leg enlarged so I could wear them with the fixator." He looked up at Amita and squeezed her hand. "You ready to go to the ball, princess?"

She squeezed back. "Yes, I am, my Prince Charming."

"One thing, first." He pulled a long black jewelry box from his pocket. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Amita gasped as she lifted the necklace from the box. A diamond with a large ruby above it and a smaller ruby below, dangled from the fine gold chain. "Oh, Charlie, it's beautiful." She removed the necklace she was wearing and put it on the table. Tears filled her eyes as she fastened the gold chain around her neck.

Charlie touched the necklace and then lifted his hand to Amita's chin and leaned forward to kiss her.

They were fashionably late to the Cal Sci Valentine Ball. As they entered the ballroom, Charlie nuzzled Amita's hair and murmured, "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"You are the most beautiful woman here."

"Charles!" Larry called from across the room. "We save your seats!"

"Look at you!" Megan said, standing to embrace Charlie. "You got that thing off your leg!" She turned and hugged Amita. "I love your dress."

Charlie turned to Amita. "Do you mind if we sit for a few minutes before we dance?"

Larry's eyebrows rose. "You're going to dance? Charles! Are you certain that's wise?"

Amita grinned. "He has his doctor's permission for one romantic slow dance."

Millie and Alan approached from the dance floor, slightly out of breath. "Well, Professor Eppes, I wasn't sure if we'd see you tonight," Millie said, "I hope you're over whatever was ailing you this morning."

Charlie blushed. "Sorry, Millie, it was doctor's orders. I had to stay off my feet during the day today."

"But he had no objection to you partying tonight?"

"Uh..." 

Millie laughed. "There's a doctor with his priorities straight! I'm just teasing you, Charlie. Your dad filled me in on all the details."

Charlie shook his head, "This has to be some conflict of interest, or violation of privacy or something."

"Well, strictly speaking," Larry said, "I do not believe the father/son relationship is governed by any..."

Megan took Larry's hand, "Come on, Professor Fleinhardt, let's engage in some – what did you call it? -- terpsichorean delights?"

Megan led Larry off to the dance floor, and Charlie turned to Amita. "You up to some terpsichorean delights?"

"I am if you are," she said.

"Let's try it without the cane," he said, standing. He hung his cane from the back of his chair. "I can lean on you if I have any trouble, right?"

"Definitely," Amita murmured as he held her close.

When the song finished, Charlie leaned on Amita as he hobbled back to the table. "I think that's enough dancing for now," he said breathlessly. She helped him into his chair.

"Oh, Charlie, I knew this was a mistake," Amita said softly.

But Charlie was grinning. "No, it was the fulfillment of a promise I made myself."

"What promise?"

"Well, when I started physical therapy, the doctor told me it would be at least eight weeks before I was ready to have the fixator removed. I looked at the calendar, and I decided that I would be rid of the fixator in time to dance with you on Valentine's Day. We cut it kind of close, but here we are."

Amita hugged Charlie. "Yes, here we are. Happy Valentine's Day."

The End


End file.
